


Stay

by AliceCarroll



Series: Love Triangle [2]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love Triangles, Panic Attacks, Slow Romance, Trauma, Violence, spoilers for 707 route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-02-23 06:54:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 39,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13184700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceCarroll/pseuds/AliceCarroll
Summary: Vanderwood's tired of Seven, so they make him hire an actual maid. At the same time, Seven finds himself getting too involved with a girl.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here comes the second part of Spring Flowers! You can read them indepently, though.
> 
> I really hope you like it.
> 
> Thank you for reading <3

“I am _not_ going to go there and clean your stuff, Seven,” a determined and angry Vanderwood stated at the other side of the hacker’s phone. “In fact, I’m going to send a girl over.”

Poor Vanderwood had been tricked. They had realised when he started to pay someone to go over and clean their own house because they were too busy checking on Seven and ended up cleaning _his_ house. But that was not going to stay like that, oh no. They had decided to send the girl there instead.

“But I need you!” their tiresome colleague exclaimed.

“Get yourself a pet, Seven.”

“Are you sure she’s trustworthy?” he asked.

“Finally you are serious,” Vanderwood sighed. “She is or I wouldn’t have hired her otherwise. She has one rule that made me consider her appropriate for the work.”

“What’s that rule?” Vanderwood could see Seven’s lips curling up in amusement.

“Never ask about our work.”

Seven wandered up and down the untidy living room. It was strange that Vanderwood got to trust someone, but her rule was actually quite convenient for them, so he could see why they had hired her. Still, there must have been some other reason. He was not going to ask, though, he trusted Vanderwood well enough... and really needed someone to take care of his place.

He approached the door when he heard someone knocking.

“Say ‘master’ in Arabic!” he playfully exclaimed, eager to have some fun.

A feminine voice gasped at the other side of the door. He looked at the screen showing the image of the security camera to see a thin girl with long brown hair frowning slightly, looking for something in her bag. She took out a dictionary and gasped again.

“I can’t find that word, what should I do?” she asked, serious.

Seven laughed, amused, but opened the door for her.

“I was expecting a girl in a maiden dress,” he said, smiling. “Nice to meet you, you can call me God 707.”

The girl looked at him, puzzled, but approached him to shake his hand.

“I’m Mina, nice to meet you too.”

“Cool, Mina! I’m sure Vanderwood talked to you about me?” Seven inquired.

“Not that much,” she replied.

“I AM HURT!” Seven dramatically exclaimed, taking a hand to his chest and letting himself fall on the sofa and looked up at her.

Her lips were curled in a small smile. Finally!

“So, what should I do?” she asked, looking around her.

“Just clean everything and don’t enter the computers’ room. Easy!” he exclaimed and she nodded. “Vanderwood told me about that ‘rule,’” he added, drawing inverted commas in the air with his fingers. “It’s cool. It’s useful. You don’t inquire about me, I don’t inquire about you.”

She nodded once again.

“Where are the cleaning items?” she asked, tidying her long wavy hair on a ponytail.

“Oh, good question,” Seven started looking for them in a couple of wardrobes as she looked at him in silence. “Here they are!” he exclaimed. “Seven- 1; Mina- 0!”

“I didn’t even look for them!” she exclaimed. “And this is your house.”

Seven laughed, amused at her serious reaction.

“A victory is a victory. I’m going to go to work now, so...” he said, disappearing in his room before finishing his sentence.

Mina looked around her. She certainly had a lot of work to do.

A couple of hours went by when Mina saw Seven getting out of his room at all speed.

“I’ll be right back!” he exclaimed before going out of the house.

Was he really okay leaving her alone at his home? She thought. She shook her head and continued with her task. That was none of her business.

It had been a couple of months since Seven started going to the café. It had all started when he suddenly found himself with no Dr Pepper –a fatal error in his calculations –and with the need of caffeine to run through his veins, so he went out to a cafeteria nearby and ordered a coffee since he had to finish a research in an hour if he didn’t want to get killed, and couldn’t go buy Dr Pepper. It was then when he met her. A girl with short, black hair and the biggest smile in the world served him a coffee. She even put some sugar hearts on it and was the first person that had smiled to him in weeks. He couldn’t help falling in love with her, and that day onwards he always tried to make out an excuse to go visit her. He knew he shouldn’t get involved with her, but just seeing her for some minutes should be alright, shouldn’t it?

He found himself talking to her once again and suddenly she invited him to the cinema.

“I was planning to go with some friends, and they all have said they cannot go,” she sighed. “Well, I guess you can’t do anything about it, so I should just stop complaining. Or you could come with me.”

“I could,” Seven grinned.

The girl startled.

“For real?” she smiled.

“Yah, why not? If you’re okay about going with your creepy client,” he chuckled.

She laughed, openly and warmly, as she always did.

“You’re not creepy!” she laughed. “You’re rather cute.”

Seven’s time to get flustered. He hid it behind some more jokes and they agreed to meet the next day at four at the very same café.

He went back home, thoughtful. What was he doing? He was dangerous. He was broken on the inside. But it was only a film, right? Going to the cinema just once should be alright, shouldn’t it? He entered his home and startled when he saw someone cleaning. Of course. He had almost forgotten about Mina.

“How’s it going?” he asked, at the sight of the floor of his living room.

“How can you live here?” she said as all reply, half immerse in her thoughts.

He chuckled.

“You’re lucky my mood is better than Vanderwood’s!” he exclaimed, amused at Mina’s boldness.

She startled, realising what she had said.

“Well, I saw some things moving,” she frowned. She was cute.

“That must have been the pricklepoes.”

“Pricklepoes?” she asked.

“Wait, don’t tell me you’ve never seen a pricklepoe,” she shook her head, serious, which almost made Seven laugh. She was going to be almost easier to tease than Yoosung. “Well, they are these species of cockroaches that live in small spaces and eat human’s nails. They live in dirty places, which is why there are a lot round here.”

“Cockroaches that eat human’s nails?!” she exclaimed, her eyes widening slightly.

She was actually terrified. She hated cockroaches and she had never imagined there were some that ate human nails. She was fortunate her face didn’t show how scared she was.

“Yeah, they are a bit bigger than the average. But you can also train them if you give your nails as a reward. Once I taught one how to jump through a ring.”

“What? Are they that clever?” she asked.

“Yah. Oh, look! There’s one there!”

Mina dropped the things she was carrying and looked behind her. There was nothing there.

“I can’t see it,” her voice trembled.

Seven smiled, and put his hand on her head.

“It just jumped on your head.”

She yelled, putting her hand on her hair to take the pricklepoe off, but only found Seven’s hand, of course. She turned, her eyes watery, and faced a laughing Seven.

“You totally fell for it!”

She moved away from him and went to the kitchen, her face inexpressive.

“Are you mad?” Seven followed her.

“I thought you had some work to do?” she replied.

“I thought we were not going to ask about the other’s work?” he answered back, chuckling.

Mina opened the tap and started to wash her hands, hearing Seven’s laugh behind her. She took some water and splashed it on his face.

“Shut up,” she said, annoyed.

“What are you doing!?” the hacker exclaimed, more surprised than angry.

She snorted a laugh.

“It’s me who’s going to have to clean it anyway,” she chuckled.

He laughed too until he remembered he did have to work.

“I’ll go back to my business, you go back to yours. Just leave whenever you want to, but tell me in advance, alright?”

She nodded.

The hours went by quickly as Seven finished some extra work so that he could have the afternoon free for his date the next day. Wait. It was not a date. How could he think that? He couldn’t have dates. He sighed. Sometimes he wished he could just quit. There it came, the asphyxiating feeling again. He started to gasp for breath, feeling a pressure on his chest he was already quite familiar with. But he already knew what to do in those cases.

He took out of his drawer the floppy disk and inserted it in his computer, looking at the smiling red-haired boy of the pictures. He smiled. He was doing this for him. He must be okay for him. Just as he got to calm down, he heard two knocks on the door.

“Yeah?” he asked, still looking at the pictures.

“I’m leaving,” he heard Mina’s voice and the door opening.

He turned around, almost scared, only to see Mina’s face looking at him. Seven jumped towards her and pushed her out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he said, almost menacing.

Mina startled.

“Sorry. I thought you had given me leave to get in,” she replied.

Seven sighed.

“No, you can never enter this room, okay?”

She nodded. To Seven’s relief, she didn’t ask any questions. He could see why Vanderwood had trusted her.

He saw her to the door.

“You don’t want me to take you anywhere?” he asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

“I have my own car,” she replied, showing him the keys.

He gave her a thumbs up to make the atmosphere somehow less tense.

“When do you want me to come back?” she asked.

“The day after tomorrow,” he replied. She nodded and waved goodbye. “You don’t shake hands?” he asked, amused.

She blushed and shook the hand he was offering her. He chuckled. She was quite bad at social interaction.

Mina entered her car and sat down, sighing, and checked her bag to see if she got everything ready for that night. It was nice that Seven also gave her leave to come at any time she wanted to, that way she had almost the whole night for herself. She looked at herself on the mirror, frowning lightly at her face. She certainly had to thank the music. Somehow Seven had made her laugh, which she liked. It felt weird. He was like a storm of feelings. Though too unreal to be true, she liked that. Well, she was not going to judge him. She never did.

Seven opened a new bag of HBC and went back to work. He was somehow excited about the next day but, for once, he wouldn’t let the excitement get between him and his work. He smiled. It was almost done. When he got to focus again, his phone buzzed.

**MC has entered the chat room**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven goes out with the girl of the cafeteria, and things get worse than expected.

“Rhiannon! I’m here!” Seven waved his hand at the girl, who waved back, laughing.

She approached him, almost running. She looked so cute in her short skirt and shirt, even more than with the uniform of the café.

“Are you ready?!” Saeyoung exclaimed, making her chuckle again.

“You don’t even know which film we are watching and look so excited!” she remarked.

“I’m god 707, of course I know!”

She laughed again.

“Then, surprise me.”

“Oh, a challenge!” Seven grinned. “Mmmm... let’s see, let’s see... _The Beauty and the Peach_!” he exclaimed.

Rhiannon widened her eyes in surprise.

“How did you know?!” she exclaimed.

“I told you,” he replied in a playful tone, which only made her laugh again.

They arrived to the cinema and Seven paid for the popcorns and Dr Pepper and water for Rhiannon, stating that it was his deal since she had invited to the film. She agreed, smiling, as she always did. After the film, they went to a cafeteria and had some cake.

“It’s so strange to be on the other side of the counter,” she smiled, “and with a customer!”

Seven laughed.

“I hope it’s a good kind of strange?”

“It is!” she smiled.

Seven’s heart raced. This was wrong, but felt so good. He smiled, pretending for a moment he was a normal person enjoying a normal date. Rhiannon’s phone rang.

“Excuse me,” she said, leaving to take it, though Seven didn’t have to wait long until she came back. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to leave soon,” she apologised.

“It’s okay,” Seven replied, a bit disappointed.

 “I was having a really good time, though,” she smiled, and Seven grinned back.

They finished their drinks and went out of the café.

“Do you want me to take you somewhere?” he asked her.

“Oh, no, it’s okay, I’m going with him,” she replied, pointing at a boy who was on the other side of the road.

Seven’s heart sunk in his chest, but replied with a ‘cool’ and a smile. The boy finally approached them and took Rhiannon by the hand.

“Seen, this is Sam, my boyfriend. Sam, this is the customer I talked to you about.”

So she talked about him? Huh, funny.

“Nice to meet you, and thank you for taking care of her,” Sam said.

Rhiannon pouted and hit his shoulder lightly.

“You silly,” she chuckled. “I had a lot of fun today, Seven. I hope I’ll see you again soon.”

“Sure,” Seven smiled.

They walked away and Seven went back home without dropping the fake smile on his lips. He has screwed it. It shouldn’t be affecting him this much. Fuck. He sat on his desk chair and started trying to focus on his task without much success. He looked at his phone and entered in a chat room. That MC had not logged in that day. He sighed.

They had decided to hold another party after a stranger appeared at Rika’s old apartment. Yoosung was a bit too excited, so Seven was worried he might end up making Lizzy, his girlfriend, angry or sad. He actually had wanted to make Lizzy part of the RFA and make her organise a new party, since she was really clever and efficient. Jumin hadn’t just given that internship in the C&R to her out of her relationship with Yoosung. Of course, V hadn’t accepted. He had to recognise Yoosung was right that time. It seemed as if V didn’t want the RFA to continue with its labour after Rika’s death. Anyway, now they had MC and V had agreed on letting her continue with Rika’s task, which was good. If they really got to hold the party he should maybe call Rhiannon and invite... Wait. Here it was again. Fuck. What was wrong with him?

He took his phone and decided to call Yoosung to distract himself from his thoughts.

“Hi, Seven!” he heard the happy voice greeting him at the other side of the phone.

“Yoosung! I have a problem of pricklepoes here!” he laughed, remembering Mina’s reaction. “Can you come help me? And bring Lizzy,” he just loved how she tried to convince him he was just messing with her boyfriend and sigh when he didn’t believe her. They were such a funny couple.

“Pricklepoes? What’s that?”

“Come and see,” he said, playfully.

“I don’t believe you. I’m sure you’re trying to tease me again.”

“How could I do that if you have tons of them at your apartment?”

“I have what?” he exclaimed, worried.

“Remember that cockroach you told me was the biggest one you’ve ever seen? Well, that was a baby pricklepoe.”

“What?! I’m scared now! What exactly is a prickletoe?”

“Pricklepoe,” he corrected him. “They are big cockroaches which eat human nails, it’s on internet!” he added, starting to type to create a webpage about pricklepoes already.

“Is it going to eat my nails?” Yoosung asked, about to cry.

“Most probably.”

“And you said you had a problem with them? How many do you have?”

“About a hundred.”

“A hundred?!” Yoosung exclaimed in disbelief.

Seven heard the sound of a door at the other side of the phone and another person taking it.

“Seven, what did you tell Yoosung?” he heard Lizzy’s voice.

“Hi, Liz!” he teased her, making her sigh.

“He’s about to cry, again.” He could hear Yoosung’s complaints at the other side of the phone. “What the hell is a pricklepoe?”

“Cute name, isn’t it?”

“Kind off,” she reluctantly acknowledged. “Anyway, is anything the matter?”

Seven sighed.

“Nope, just wanted to mess a little with the cinnamon roll,” he replied, and he could almost see Lizzy rolling her eyes at the other side of the phone.

“Hey, whatever it is you can count on us, you know? At least on the cinnamon roll.”

Seven laughed.

“I insist, God 707 is always perfectly fine!”

“Okay, see you, Seven!”

He heard Yoosung taking the phone.

“Seven, are you okay with the pricklepoes?”

“Don’t worry, Yoosung. They already ate my nails, so they’re leaving now.”

“They what?!”

He hung up, chuckling. Lizzy was a bit too clever, but he was glad Yoosung was with her, maybe for this very reason.

 

Seven was awaken by the noises in the kitchen. He startled, jumping off the chair, and rushed out of his room. Who could have entered his house? He sighed in relieve when he saw Mina skilfully grabbing a cup that was about to fall on the floor.

“Good morning,” she said when she saw him.

“How did you get to enter here?” Seven asked, surprised.

“Oh, the scanner recognised my eyes and voice and I answered the door’s question.”

“You know Arabic?” Seven asked, puzzled.

“Vanderwood advised me to carry a dictionary to your house,” she replied. “I guess I know now why.”

Seven couldn’t help but laughing. He then realised the clothes the girl was wearing. She had put on a black dress with a cute white apron and a maiden cap. He held back a laugh.

“I see you are wearing your uniform today,” he said as serious as he could.

She looked at him.

“Yes, I did. I didn’t know you wanted me to wear this until the other day, I’m sorry.”

“Call me master.”

“M-master?” she stuttered.

Seven finally let out a big laugh.

“I was just kidding, God. You’re too much,” he laughed.

“So I don’t have to call you ‘master,’ right? I didn’t like that,” she frowned.

“You don’t have to dress as a maid either,” Seven grinned.

Mina blushed deeply, realising her mistake.

“Oh, you’re so stupid,” she said, angry. “I’m going to use your bathroom to change my clothes. And I’m never going to believe a thing you say again.”

Seven was still laughing when the girl took her bag.

“Oh, wait, I need to pee,” he called her before she entered the bathroom.

“None of my business,” she replied, closing and locking the door.

Seven chuckled, sitting on the floor to wait for her to come out. Seriously, that girl. She was just too much. She opened it again and went out dressed in her jeans and a white shirt, and went to the kitchen to continue her tasks.

“Are you upset?” Seven asked, more amused than worried.

She continued cleaning the kitchen and Seven was going to ask again when his stomach complained in hunger. He went to pick up some HBC, and Mina looked up at him and sighed.

“Is that what you call breakfast?” she asked.

“Yup,” the hacker replied. “And lunch and dinner most of the time. Want some?”

She took two and tasted them. They were delicious.

“Yummy,” she whispered, surprised.

Seven laughed.

“Of course! Food fit for a god!!”

She nodded absentmindedly and went back to her tasks.

“You know? I thought you were going to lecture me about my eating habits or something,” the red-haired said, eating more chips.

She shrugged.

“None of my business.”

Seven chuckled.

“I don’t know if you are extremely discreet or uninterested.”

She looked at him and saw a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

“I just don’t need people to tell me what they don’t want to tell me, and in what the food respects, I think you’re a bit too grown-up to have people telling you what you should do. Besides, it’s been only two days since I’ve met you.”

He stood looking at her with a playful smile on his face.

“I guess you don’t like nosy people.”

“Indeed I don’t,” she replied, going back to her task.

“Want to play a game?” he asked, grinning.

“I thought I came here to work?” she replied, surprised.

Seven chuckled.

“It’s part of you work!”

She left the mop on the table and followed Seven to his room. There were two average computers there.

“It’s better in the computer’s room, but that’s a restricted place,” he winked. “Nevertheless, I have two others here that I use when my friends come. Sit here,” he said pointing at a chair. He put some headphones on her ears and she touched them, confused. He put some others on. “Ready? You can use one of my characters and we’ll make the tutorial to teach you how to play quicker.”

He turned on the computer and started the game.

“LOLOL?” she asked. “I’ve heard about it before.”

“Of course you have, it’s super famous.”

He gave her the basic instruction and started the tutorial. She was awful. She didn’t show any interest in the game, only an occasional frown when an enemy hit her, and her speed of reaction was nonexistent. Seven, of course, was extremely amused.

“You’re too bad!” he exclaimed, laughing.

She frowned.

“Let’s do some other thing,” she said.

“Do you like any other game?” Seven inquired.

She thought for a while.

“Just Dance,” she smiled mischievously.

“Is that a challenge?” Seven asked, taking the game.

She nodded, and Seven jumped off his chair to go and fetch the game.

She was too good, Seven thought, panting. He was always close to her in the punctuation, but she was awfully good at this game. He stopped for a second and looked at her dancing.

“Are you a professional of Just Dance or something?”

“We said we’re not going to talk about work,” she smirked.

Seven sighed.

“Let’s play another game.”

“The little baby hates losing?” she asked, smirking.

“Oh, you didn’t!” he exclaimed.

That’s how they spent the evening playing Just Dance. Seven never won a round.

He looked at the clock only to find it was already too late to visit Rhiannon at the cafeteria. He sighed. Mina took her things and said goodbye to him.

“Want to hang out?” Seven asked.

“Sorry, I can’t,” she replied.

Seven frowned.

“I should work, actually,” he sighed. She looked at him with an undecipherable look. “See you tomorrow,” he said.

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

He looked at her disappearing at the other side of the door and wondered if he would be able to see Rhiannon tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a new chapter! I feel thi one is somehow shorter, but I hope you still like it.
> 
> Thank you for reading and your support <3

“Good morning, pricklepoe!” Seven exclaimed when Mina entered the house.

She frowned.

“Are you calling me by the name of a cockroach specie?” she asked, annoyed.

Seven laughed.

“You know I invented it all, right?”

She looked away.

“Of course I do,” she stuttered and Seven chuckled. The blush on her face was evident. “What are you doing?” she asked, willing to change the topic of their conversation.

“I’m building a fire-fighter’s pole,” he replied, proud.

“What for?”

“To go down the attic in a funnier way, of course.”

“Of course,” she sighed.

She started to do her tasks and they remained silent for a while until she went out of the kitchen, almost angry.

“I thought you only ate Honey Buddha Chips,” she said. “How do you manage to have tones of dirty dishes everyday in the sink?”

“It’s a gift,” he smiled.

“From an enemy?” she grinned.

“From God.”

“Then I was right.”

“God is not the enemy,” Seven complained, playfully.

“He’s not if you aren’t a rebellious servant.”

“Are you?”

She shrugged and went back to her tasks. Seven smiled shaking his head. He could see why Vanderwood had hired her in a first place.

“Pricklepoe, want to have lunch?” he asked her.

“Is it already lunch time?” she asked, widening her eyes in surprise.

“It is.”

“I should go back home early,” she said, biting her lower lip. “I hope that’s okay with you?”

“Sure, but don’t skip your meals!” he exclaimed.

She frowned.

“You know? You’re not really in the position to say that.”

He chuckled.

“I guess I’m not.”

“Well, I’m leaving then,” she said, taking her things in a hurry and taking off her ponytail, letting her long hair fall down her back.

“Sure you don’t want to stay for lunch?” Seven asked once more.

“I cannot, sorry. See you... tomorrow?” she hesitated.

“Sure.”

“Bye,” she said, going away.

Seven sighed. Home was boring once again.

He ate his lunch, a proper meal for once, alone, doing some work at the same time. He looked at the clock and guessed Rhiannon should be at the café by that time, so he fetched his hoodie and went there, smiling, though he knew he shouldn’t.

And he was right. There she was, as sparkling as usual, smiling at the other side of the counter. Her smile widened when she saw him, which made Seven feel a bittersweet sensation. She handed him out his coffee even before he asked for it.

“How are you?” he asked, discerning a tint of sadness in her smile.

She startled.

“Fine,” she sighed.

“You don’t seem to be so,” Seven smiled.

She chuckled.

“You’re so attentive. It’s nothing, really,” she said, looking at the clock. “You know, my turn finishes in half an hour. Want to go somewhere after that?” she asked.

Seven’s heart raced.

“Sure.”

She smiled.

“How come you finished so early today?” Seven asked when she met him at the entrance.

“I’m thinking about quitting, actually,” she replied.

Seven’s heart sunk.

“Why?”

“Well, you know, I’m getting married,” she smiled, sadly, “and I think I want to spend more time taking care of the house. I didn’t really want to work in the first place, I always wanted to be a housewife, but I had to do it if I wanted to live out of my parent’s. Now that I’m going to live with Sam, I don’t need to work.”

“That’s nice,” Seven smiled, weakly.

“I guess,” she replied.

“But you’re not happy.”

She sighed and chuckled weakly.

“It’s complicated,” she said, sitting on a bench with views to the river. “I was the one who came out with the idea of marriage. I don’t know if Sam really wanted to. I don’t even know if he loves me anymore,” her voice trembled.

“Hey, why would you say that?” Seven asked, taking her hand.

“He seems so distant lately,” she replied, starting to sob. “Maybe I put too much pressure on him. He’s always looking at his phone during the meals, talking to his friends, and hangs out until late. When we go out on dates, he doesn’t smile as much as before and when we sleep together... Oh, my, I’m sorry!” she said, covering her mouth with her hands and blushing, “I guess I said too much.”

“It’s okay,” Seven smiled, squeezing her hand and smiling, though he was breaking on the inside.

“I don’t know why I’m bothering you with all this,” she chuckled, cleaning her tears with her hands. “You barely know me. I’m just the girl on the other side of the counter.”

“Don’t say that,” Seven replied. “I-I’m glad you’re telling me.”

“Really?” she asked, surprised. “Why?”

“Well, didn’t I ask you?” he smiled.

“You did,” she chuckled.

“It’s because I care,” he replied, bushing lightly.

She startled, surprised, but her face relaxed into a smile.

“Thank you,” she said. “I felt from the start you were nice.”

Seven blushed.

“Me too. I mean!” he exclaimed, making her chuckle, “that _you_ were nice.”

“Thank you. You’re making me feel somehow better.”

He smiled.

“Why don’t you give me your phone number?” he found himself asking.

“That would be nice!” she smiled.

They exchanged numbers and said goodbye.

“Rhiannon!” Seven exclaimed. “I’m sure he loves you still.”

How couldn’t he? He asked himself. She smiled.

“Thank you, Seven!”

Seven arrived home with a distressed feeling. He closed the door behind him and rushed to his room.

“This is bad,” he muttered to himself. “This is bad! Seven, what are you thinking about!”

He let himself fall on his bed, something he hadn’t done for days, and covered his eyes with his arm, fetching his phone with the other almost involuntarily.

“Hi, Yoosung,” he said. “Want to come over? Bring Lizzy too.”

 

“So,” Lizzy said, putting down her cup of tea, which she herself had brought, and leaning her chin on her intertwined hands, “this girl is actually engaged and instead of letting her go you asked for her number,” she sighed.

Yoosung looked at her, worried.

“What else should he have done?” he asked.

Seven looked at the two of them, frowning.

“Distance himself from her,” she replied. “Seven, it’s not healthy. You’re going to end up being hurt.”

“I understand Seven,” Yoosung said. “I wouldn’t have let you go.”

Lizzy blushed.

“Well, you know, em, aaah,” she exclaimed, flustered. “Excuse me for a minute,” she went to the kitchen to take a glass of water.

Seven smiled at Yoosung, amused, and saw him as flustered as his girlfriend.

“I’m fine,” Lizzy said, sitting again next to them. “What are you planning to do?” she asked. “Are you going to go on dates with her until she marries?”

Seven sunk in the sofa.

“I’m tired of running away,” he suddenly said, hiding his eyes behind the palm of his hands. “Of being no one.”

“What are you talking about, Seven?” Yoosung asked, tearing up.

Lizzy looked at him, worried.

“Hey, that’s not true,” she replied. “You have us, the RFA,” she hesitated. “Even your maid, Vanderwood.”

He chuckled.

“She’s not my maid anymore. She got me a new one.”

“And how is she?” Lizzy asked to change the topic. “Is she nice?”

Seven sighed, smiling weakly.

“She’s fun.”

Lizzy smiled.

“Seven, you’re not alone!” Yoosung exclaimed, crying and hugging him.

Lizzy sighed, smiling, and Seven hugged him back. He started to tickle him.

“Stop it!” he exclaimed, making Lizzy chuckle.

They ate some dinner and Yoosung and Lizzy left. They were walking back to Lizzy’s home when she heard him sigh for the third time.

“He’ll be fine,” she said, squeezing his hand.

“I don’t know why he said all that,” Yoosung frowned.

“He’s just sad, I guess,” Lizzy replied.

“You’re worried too.”

Lizzy startled.

“Shut up,” she whispered.

Yoosung stopped walking and embraced her, leaning on her shoulder.

“Do you want to spend the night at my place?” he asked, looking back at her, blushing deeply.

She blushed, startled, and looked away.

“Okay.”

 

Mina picked up her phone.

“Did you go to his house today?”

“I did,” she replied.

“How did it go?”

“Fine,” Mina replied, smiling. “Fun, I guess.”

She heard a sigh at the other side of the phone.

“You sound as if you like him.”

“He’s fun,” she ambiguously replied. She heard a complaint at the other side of the phone. “You know people like me cannot like anyone that way.”

“I guess.”

“I’m fine,” she smiled, looking at a picture of him on her phone. “Just fine. I’m always fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter ends with a mysterious conversation! I would like to hear what you guys think Mina hides, so comments on your theory are more than welcome!
> 
> Thank you again for reading ^^


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a new chapter! I'm sorry this took so long to update, I hope I'll have more time to upload now onwards :)
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter <3

Seven woke to find Mina dancing with her headphones on at the same time she did the dishes. He grinned, watching the strangely sexy moves of her butt as she whispered the melody of the song completely unaware of Seven’s enjoying the view. He approached and took off one of them.

“You happy this morning, pricklepoe?”

She screamed and turned around, her face pale only to turn in a deep shade of red. Seven laughed.

“For God’s sake, you’re going to kill me,” she panted, taking a hand to her chest. “It’s not funny.”

“I think it is.”

Mina frowned.

“I didn’t sign for this.”

“Eeh? Is your good mood that ruined now?” Seven asked playfully.

“Can’t you tell?”

He laughed.

“Are you staying for lunch today?”

“I’m still angry.”

“Sorry,” he said, playfully, feigning a pout.

She sighed.

“I guess I could as well stay,” Seven smiled. She turned to face him again. “But _I_ ’ll cook. I don’t even want to know what kind of food you could give me.”

“You don’t trust me? I’m hurt,” he replied, though he couldn’t hide his smile.

She raised an eyebrow and went back to her task at the same time Seven resumed his work. He was glad she was staying. He didn’t really want to have lunch on his own.

“Seven,” he heard her knock his door. “You know your fridge is empty?”

“What?!” he exclaimed jumping off his chair and going out of the room. “Is there no Doctor Pepper?!”

Mina sighed.

“No food,” she replied.

“You scared me.”

She punched his shoulder.

“I’ll go buy something,” she said, taking her bag.

“See yah,” he waved.

She came back and started to cook. Seven was pulled out of his work by the good smell and rushed to the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Can’t you see?”

“I can’t, my glasses get steamed up.”

She turned to face him. It was true. She chuckled.

“What a pity.”

“Hey, I want to know what you’re going to give me!”

“You have to reduce the number of questions you make if you want to keep our deal.”

“That’s cheating!” Seven exclaimed. “And why do you have to say it so seriously?!”

“Because I’m serious.”

“Gaaah!” he went away of the kitchen, pretending to be upset. She didn’t fall for it for once. His smile betrayed him.

Seven’s phone rang.

“God Seven speaking!”

“Seven! How are you?” he heard a worried Yoosung at the other side of the phone.

“Cool!”

“Hey, Seven, help me getting the dishes on the higher stand,” Mina said from the kitchen.

“Ugh? Is that a girl?” Yoosung asked.

“Oh, that’s Mina,” Seven replied, taking two dishes and hanging them out to her. “My servant.”

“I’m not your servant.”

“The new maid?”

“Yah.”

“Oh, well, say hi,” Yoosung said, relieved he was not alone and seemed to be having fun.

“Yoosung says hi.”

“Who’s Yoosung?” she asked.

“She’s asking me who you are. What should I reply?” Seven teased him.

“Eh? I don’t know! I’m your friend!”

“Only friends? You break my heart,” Seven pouted and winked at Mina.

She arched an eyebrow, amused.

“What? You know I’m dating Lizzy!” Yoosung replied, flustered.

“If you’re not married, it doesn’t count.”

“But I love her,” he complained.

“Aw, so cute. I should have recorded it.”

“Seven, stop it, it’s embarrassing!”

“Then, talk to Mina!” he said, giving her the phone.

“Mi-mina?”

“Hi?” she asked. She looked up at Seven. “He hung up.”

“So shy,” he laughed.

Mina frowned.

“Are we going to have lunch or not?”

“Sure!” he exclaimed.

They started to eat, but every time Mina wanted to take a bite of her plate, Seven would take it.

“Seven eat of your plate!” she exclaimed for the third time.

He laughed and she started to try to steal food from him. She was too skilful and got to steal some, but the hacker had nice skills too, so they started to fight, one thing lead to the other and they ended up falling on the floor, Seven laughing out loud and Mina chuckling.

“Hey,” he said, putting a finger on her forehead. “You have a nice laugh.”

She blushed lightly.

“I don’t. I don’t even laugh.”

“You just have,” he smiled.

Her blush intensified.

“Well, I don’t usually do, then.”

“You should! Laughing is healthy.”

She arched an eyebrow.

“You laugh too much to be healthy.”

“Why would you say that?” he chuckled.

“It feels as if you were hiding something,” she said, touching his forehead this time. He widened his eyes in surprise. “The boy in the pictures, was he really you?”

His face tensed up.

“I thought we were not asking about the other.”

She startled, surprised at her own words.

“Oh, my God, I’m sorry,” she said, standing up immediately afterwards. “I think I should leave,” she started to take her things.

Seven stood up too and looked at her, taking her bag and putting on her coat.

“I’m not upset,” he told her at the door.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you were,” she replied looking at the floor.

He put a hand on her head.

“I guess you were not ill intentioned.”

She looked up at him and saw his fake smile again.

“Anyway, I’m too embarrassed to stay,” she confessed. “Bye,” she replied, turning and going on her car.

He sighed, thinking about his brother and the terrifying way she had read into him. His expression relaxed. He hoped he would find some consolation visiting Rhiannon at the cafeteria, but shook his head right away to erase those thoughts. He should visit her only to keep her company now that she was worried and lonely, not to feel better himself. He didn’t even deserve that.

He entered the cafeteria and saw her bright smile once again, feeling most of his dark thoughts fading away.

“Good afternoon, Rhiannon,” he smiled.

“Hi, Seven!” she exclaimed. “How you doing today?” she asked.

“Fine as always!” he made her laugh. “Are you doing something after work?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, giving him his coffee. “Are you?”

He chuckled.

“Want to come to my place to watch a film?” he asked her.

“Sure!” she smiled. “Why don’t you send me your address and I’ll get there when I finish here.”

“Sounds nice.”

She was there an hour later.

“You have a rather... peculiar security system,” she said, entering his house.

“People usually tell me that,” he held back a laugh.

She chuckled.

“I bought some popcorns!” she smiled. “I hope you like them salty?”

“I do!” he replied. “You can have some Honey Buddha Chips in exchange.”

She laughed.

“Sounds nice. What are we going to watch?” she asked sitting on the couch after Seven told her to.

“As we watched _Beauty and the Peach_ the other day, I guessed you like those kinds of films, so I thought you should like _Mariana_.”

“Fantastic!”

The started to watch it, but Seven couldn’t concentrate. He only felt Rhiannon getting closer to him as she took some HBC from the bag he was holding. He didn’t know what to do. He felt he wanted to have her closer, but on the other side every time their hands met, it hurt. It felt cold. So cold that it burned. Their fingers took the same chip.

“Sorry,” they said at the same time, looking at one another.

Seven blushed, finding their faces closer than intended. Was that a blush on her face? Had she looked at his lips for a second? His mind felt dizzy for the rest of the film.

“I liked it a lot!” she said when it finished.

“I feel identified with the chicken,” Seven said.

“No!” she laughed. “You should be Mauri and I’d be Mariana.”

He laughed.

“That would be fun.”

He started to sing _No problem_ , as she laughed. Her phone rang.

“Excuse me for a minute,” she said, taking it and going away, though she came back little afterwards, her face with a dark shade.

“I think I should go home now,” she said.

“Did something happen?” Seven asked.

She bit her lower lip.

“Sam and I argued before.”

“Let me take you home.”

She went on her car and told Seven about their fight. It was nothing too bad, but apparently they had had a lot of arguments lately and she was tired of it. He tried to be understanding, but he just couldn’t.

“You shouldn’t let him talk to you that way,” he frowned.

“It’s okay, Seven. I understand he’s tired,” she said. “He’s really stressed with work right now, and the wedding... it’s normal. By the way, what do you do for a living?” she asked, willing to talk about something else.

He startled.

“I work for an agency.”

“What kind of agency?”

“I... cannot tell,” he bit his lower lip.

She widened her eyes in surprise.

“Is it illegal?”

“Kind of?”

“Okay, I won’t judge,” she said. “I guess you’ll have your reasons? But I wished you’d quit if it’s dangerous,” he startled. “I mean, I’d be sad if something happened to you.”

Seven sighed. She was making all this too complicated. They arrived to her home and Seven stopped the car near her door.

“Here we are!” he said.

She chuckled.

“I know, it’s my home.”

Seven laughed, still nervous.

“Seven, I really mean it,” she looked at him, worried. “You’re helping me a lot lately, and I don’t want to lose you.”

Seven kissed her forehead.

“Don’t worry, Rhiannon,” he smiled.

She smiled, blushing.

“Okay, I won’t.”

He went back home, feeling heavier and more tired that usually.

The next day Mina didn’t go to his house. Seven looked at the kitchen, frowning. Did she really take that seriously what happened the other day. He called her.

“Hey, pricklepoe, you skipping work?” he asked.

“And you?” a tired Mina replied.

He chuckled.

“You’re starting to ask a bit too much,” he echoed her.

She sighed. He heard a voice calling her.

“Are you busy?” he asked.

“Kind of?”

He frowned.

“Well, are you coming today?”

“I am, give me an hour,” she replied, the voice calling her again. “Shut up, Rachel,” she said. “I’m sorry, my roommate is in a mood.”

Seven sighed. So she was her roommate?

“See you later then.”

Right when he hung up, he received a call from Rhiannon.

“God 707 speaking!” he said.

He heard the laugh he loved so much at the other side of the phone.

“Hi, Seven, it’s me!” she exclaimed. “Do you happen to know anything about computers?”

“The basics,” he playfully replied.

“I infer you know a lot by the way you said that!” she laughed. “Can you come over and take a look at mine? It is not working.”

“Sure!”

“Thank you so much. I’ll wait for you with... some coffee maybe?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring Dc Pepper.”

She replied with her usual “sounds nice,” and they hung up. They day had started somehow lonely, but it seemed to be getting better. He was going out when Mina entered.

“Hi and bye!” he exclaimed.

“Eh? Uh, bye?” she replied, puzzled.

Seven chuckled, running to his baby car, excited. Mina stood looking at him, confused and somehow annoyed.

He got there sooner than expected, which was nice, and knocked at Rhiannon’s door.

“Your order of Dc Pepper has been delivered,” he said when Rhiannon opened the door, making her laugh.

“Come in,” she replied.

It was a nice, tidy and luminous house, not really big, but welcoming. She took him to her computer and he fixed it right away.

“I’m so relieved it could be fixed!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know what I would have done if it were inevitably broken.”

“I’m God Seven, there’s nothing I can’t fix!”

She smiled.

“I’m starting to believe you are,” she said, making him smile back.

They had a nice lunch together, though not as messy as the one with Mina, and went out for a walk.

“Sam lives near this place, so I think I’m going to visit him later,” she smiled.

“Nice,” he managed to say. “How long have you been dating?”

“Four years!” she exclaimed. “It feels such a long time when you say it, but so little when I think about the time we spent together!” Seven faked a laugh. “Oh, I think that’s actually Sam at the cafeteria right there,” she said, pointing at him.

He was sitting at one of the tables inside the place, but they could see him from a window.

“Is he alone?” Seven asked.

“I don’t think so, it’s not like him,” she smiled. “I think I’ll join him, them,” she said, looking away from him to face Seven. “So thank you again and...” she stopped when she saw Seven’s face turning white, still looking at her fiancé. She turned, worried, and saw him kissing a girl. “What?”

Seven took her by the wrist and dragged her to an ally next to the place, putting an arm around her head and bringing her close to his chest.

“You can cry, it’s okay. Nobody can see us here,” he said, looking away from her.

And so she did.

She had said she didn’t want to be alone, so he took her to his house.

“I don’t know what to do,” she sobbed, hiding her face behind her hands.

Fortunately, Mina was gone by the time they had arrived and Rhiannon could cry freely there.

“You have to break up with him,” Seven said, firmly.

“But I can’t,” she replied. “I love him.”

“He doesn’t deserve you!” Seven exclaimed, taking her hands, which made her widen her eyes in surprise. “You are bright, you’re fun, you’re perfect! And he was with another girl. He doesn’t deserve you. You belong with someone who loves you.”

“Do you love me, Seven?” she whispered.

Seven startled.

“I-I think so,” he replied.

She kissed him. A long, deep kiss full of tears, embracing him as he embraced and kissed her back, sighing in her mouth.

“This is wrong,” she said, breaking the kiss. “I’m sorry,” she apologised, taking her things. “I-I can’t.”

And so she went away, leaving a broken and worried Seven behind.

It was one o’ clock in the morning and Seven couldn’t concentrate in work nor sleep. He was curled on the sofa, staring at the RFA chat, where they talked about the party, though he didn’t really paid attention to what they said. At that moment, the doorbell rang. He startled, surprised, and looked into the security cameras and saw Rhiannon waiting outside, embracing her arms as if she would break if she didn’t do that.

He ran to the door and opened it, making Rhiannon startle and look at him.

“I was so afraid you wouldn’t open,” she sobbed, and he embraced her. She moved away and cupped his face with her hands. “I did it, Seven, I broke up with him,” she kissed him. “And it’s thanks to you,” another kiss. “I don’t know if I’m ready to start all over, but would you mind if I stay the night?”

It was his turn to kiss her as he moved away from the door to let her in. He put his arms under her shirt, her fingers intertwined in his hair, both made a moaning and panting mess as they kissed, laugh and cry at the same time. He took her to his bedroom and they got rid of their clothes as quickly as possible, the passion and urge taking hold of them inevitably, and made love until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify it, Beauty and the Peach and Mariana are a lame adaptation of the names of the films Beauty and the Beast and Moana xD
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter. Don't forget leaving kudos and comments if you are enjoying the story. 
> 
> Thank you for reading <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a new chapter! I really hope you like it.
> 
> Thank you for reading <3

The first thing that caught Mina’s attention when she entered Seven’s house was the unusual and delicious smell.

“Pancakes?” she whispered.

Then, she saw her. A girl she hadn’t met before was cooking them, wearing only an over-sized shirt, her short hair messy and untidy as she moved around in a careless and familiar way.

“Oh, who are you?” the girl asked when she saw Mina.

“She’s my maid!” she heard Seven’s voice. He descended down the fire fighters’ pole. “Here is the kettle,” he said, giving it to the girl and kissing her cheek.

“You had the kettle in the attic?” she chuckled.

“I did.”

“Sorry, I forgot something in the car,” Mina said, rushing out of the car.

She sat there, almost panting, feeling her heart oppressed by some kind of strange feeling. Not knowing what else to do, she took her phone and called her flatmate, Rachel.

“What is it?” the girl asked, annoyed at the other’s unexpected call.

“It’s him,” Mina replied.

“That strange boy you were working for? What’s with him?”

“He was with a girl this morning.”

Rachel sighed.

“Mina...”

“He just ignored me and introduced me as his maid,” she bit her lower lip, feeling her eyes burning.

“Jerk.”

“You know? I guess I just thought he would be the one. That he wouldn’t judge me,” she whispered, her voice shaking and a few tears finally falling down her cheeks.

“Well, Mina, if he has a job he cannot talk about, you shouldn’t be with him anyway,” Mina stood silent for a while, calming down. “Mina?”

“What?”

“It’s the first time I hear you cry.”

She dried her tears with her hand.

“Is it?”

“I guess that’s a good thing.”

“I think so too.”

“Talk to you later. Don’t come late tonight.”

“See you.”

She sighed and looked at her face on the mirror to try to erase all signs of crying.

In the mean time, Seven and Rhiannon finished their breakfast and she got ready to leave.

“When will I see you again?” Seven asked, smiling.

She chuckled.

“I don’t know,” she kissed him. “Tonight?”

“Sure.”

“Seven,” she called him before leaving, “what’s you true name?”

“Luciel,” he said behind a sad smile.

“See you later, Luciel.”

And so she left.

 

Mina begun her tasks, starting by the breakfast her boss and that girl had eaten before.

“Pricklepoe,” Seven called her, “what do you think of her?”

“Is she your girlfriend?” she asked.

“No, she isn’t,” Seven replied after hesitating.

“But you like her.”

“Mmmm...” Seven thought for a while, “I guess I do. I met her some months ago and liked her since. She was going to get married, but that man cheated on her, and now... Well, yesterday after we discovered, she broke with him and we spent the night together.”

“Yesterday?” she asked, surprised.

“Yah.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“That’s actually a good question,” he replied, hesitating. It was not like him to ramble about personal stuff. “I guess you are not going to ask for more information than the one I give you, and you’re not going to judge.”

He was wrong. She did judge, but she wouldn’t share her judgement.

“She looks nice,” she said.

“She is!” he exclaimed. “Now, I have to work. If you need anything, just knock,” he added, going to the computer’s room.

Seven sat on his chair and sighed. They had been having troubles the last two days with the security system at MC’s apartment and the hacker had sent strange messages to the members of RFA. The party was in five day and all that should be fixed as soon as possible. MC was going crazy, and she had her reasons. She stated she would leave the RFA after the party after she found out about the bomb. Of course, they couldn’t blame her.

He looked at the work he had to do for the agency and was starting to accumulate. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate feeling so nervous. Of course, what happened the other night with Rhiannon wasn’t helping either. She couldn’t love him yet, he was sure about that, but he had the secret hope that she would learn to do so if they continued seeing each other. But still, he was dangerous. It should be alright if no one found out they were seeing each other, but it was impossible to be sure when the agency would like to take a look in his life without him noticing. Mina knew about them, but she was alright. Seven trusted her, maybe because he felt some kind of sympathy towards her. They looked similar for a reason he just couldn’t discern. Maybe, it was the lonely air that surrounded her, or maybe it was their conversation after lunch the other day. He didn’t know what, but there was something that drove him towards her, that attracter him. Some kind of magic. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to work.

Surprisingly enough, she knocked. Seven stood up and opened the door, only to find a tray on the floor with HBC and Dr Pepper.

“Pricklepoe?” he called her. She went to him. “I thought you wanted me to have proper food?” he playfully said, grinning and she frowned.

“I’m not your servant, but I don’t want you to faint either.”

He laughed.

“Thanks, pricklepoe.”

She went back to the living room to resume her tasks before Seven could add anything else.

Soon enough, it was her time to go, so she said goodbye to a focused Seven and left. He was so immersed in his work that he didn’t even hear her, nor did he hear Rhiannon calling to his door. Fortunately, she called him to his phone, which he picked up.

“Luciel, open the door,” she said.

“Sorry, I was working,” he replied, rushing to the door.

When Rhiannon’s figure appeared at the other side of the door, he pulled her into an embrace, which she delicately broke.

“Let’s make some dinner,” she smiled.

Seven tried not to be too clingy, but he was just too happy she was there, so to control his emotions he just started to make jokes and puns at which she laughed. They had dinner and Rhiannon told him she had brought some clothes to spend the night and some days there, which he liked.

“Sam and I usually alternated between the other’s house, so next time you should come to mine,” she smiled.

Seven frowned.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot be away from my computers. I need them to work.”

“You can use mine,” she replied.

“These are not normal computers.”

She frowned.

“But I want you to stay at my home.”

“I guess I could stay when I finish the more urgent work,” he smiled, not really believing that would be possible anytime soon.

“How long would that take?”

Seven hesitated.

“About a month or two?” he replied, taking into account the RFA.

“A month or two?!”

“Well, I also have to take care of the fundraising association I collaborate with, I talked to you about it. Are you coming to the party?”

“Sure,” she replied. “But I don’t want to stay away from home for a month,” she replied.

“You can stay and leave for as long as you want to.”

She hesitated.

“I guess,” she replied. “I mean, you’re not even my boyfriend yet.”

Seven smiled at that ‘yet.’

Seven spent all afternoon finishing work, but they were able to have dinner together and went to bed after doing the dishes. Seven embraced her, nuzzling against her neck.

“Luciel...” she said. “I’m not really comfortable about this.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, sitting on the bed, worried.

She sat up too, biting her lower lip.

“I’m still not over Sam,” she said. “I know we slept together yesterday, but it’s still somehow weird. I don’t know how I feel.”

“It’s okay, I understand,” Seven took her hand.

“I feel bad when you act like this because I can’t be so loving with you yet.”

Seven smiled.

“I don’t need you to be loving with me. I just want you to feel loved.”

Rhiannon looked up at him.

“That’s very sweet,” she smiled, caressing his cheek. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to take all your love yet.”

“Okay,” Seven replied, letting go off her hand. “I’ll keep some distance.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “I don’t deserve this.”

“You do.”

_It hurts_ , Seven thought, lying on his bed, his back against Rhiannon’s. _The distance between us hurts, but it is more painful when she touches me._ But he would endure the pain. He would endure it for her.

 

“They didn’t like it, you know?” Rachel told Mina.

“I know,” she frowned.

Rachel sighed.

“You can’t let your feelings take the best of you at work.”

“I can’t help it,” Mina replied.

“Well, you should. You’re being unprofessional.”

Mina looked at her face in the mirror.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’ll be fine. I’m always fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new hint of Mina's secret was given in this chapter ;) Please, let me know all your theories and if you like the story <3
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the next chapter!! I hope you're liking it so far :3
> 
> Thank you for reading, and don't forget leaving some kudos and comments if you like it! <3

Rhiannon woke up to an empty bed.

“Luciel?” she called him.

She went out of bed and walked to his computer room, where she found him working.

“What are you doing?”

“You can’t enter here!” he exclaimed, going out of the room with her. “Go and get you some breakfast, I’ll finish this asap!” he tried to say as cheerfully as possible.

Rhiannon frowned, since she didn’t like him hiding things from her, but complied. She was making breakfast when the girl of the other day entered the house. She sighed, realising that Luciel had to open the door for her, but that girl could enter?

“Hi,” she greeted her.

“Hi,” the girl greeted back.

“Luciel didn’t tell me your name,” Rhiannon said.

“Luciel?”

“Seven.”

“Oh, I’m Mina,” she replied, taking the cleaning utensils.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah.”

“Pricklepoe!” Seven called her. “You’re here!”

“Yeah,” she replied, though starting to get tired of them already.

“Pricklepoe?” Rhiannon laughed.

“It a species of cockroaches,” Seven said.

“It is not, they don’t exist,” Mina sighed. “And don’t call me that.”

“You must admit the name is cute” he smirked.

“It is, but I don’t want to be called as an invented cockroach.”

Rhiannon looked at their interaction, quite at a lost. What were they talking about?

“Well, it can refer to the people that inhabit Prickepoeland now!”

“That place doesn’t even exist!” Mina exclaimed.

“You don’t know Pricklepoeland?!” Seven dramatically asked.

“I cannot know something which doesn’t exist.”

“What on earth are you saying?! It’s next to Poland!” He took out his phone and showed her a map. “It’s this small dot right here.”

She looked at it and saw a small country called Pricklepoeland, widening her eyes in surprise.

“I didn’t know it!”

“Do you really think I would be able to invent a name like that out of the blue? You flatter me!”

Her face turned red.

“I-I don’t know.”

Rhiannon frowned as she understood even less now.

“There’s no place called Pricklepoeland,” she told Seven, puzzled.

Seven laughed as Mina turned even redder.

“I shouldn’t be wasting my time with you!” she exclaimed, going back to work and eliciting a laugh from Seven.

“Aren’t her reactions funny?” he asked Rhiannon when she left.

“I don’t think I understood.”

“It’s okay,” he chuckled. “Well, I have to continue working. Just make yourself at home.”

Rhiannon nodded and took a seat on the sofa, turning the telly on. She was watching a documentary about platypuses that Seven had recorded, but was getting awfully bored, so she turned if off and knocked at Seven’s door.

“Luciel?” she asked, but there was no answer. Mina passed next to her and she stopped her. “Isn’t Luciel here?” she asked her.

“He won’t hear if he’s concentrated,” Mina replied.

Rhiannon frowned.

“Do you need any help with your tasks?”

She looked at her, indifferent.

“Not really, this is my job.”

Rhiannon sighed.

“I’m really getting bored.”

Mina shrugged and went back to work. As if she was going to give a damn if the strange girl got bored or not.

 

Two days went by and the RFA party finally arrived. Seven smiled. Rhiannon looked very beautiful in her purple dress. He couldn’t believe he was going to go to the party with her and felt over the moon. He offered her his arm and smiled.

“Are you ready?”

“I am,” she smiled.

The rest of the members didn’t know anything, so when he got there with the girl, everyone was surprised, especially Zen, who could not hide his jealousy. Fortunately, he behaved well enough not to ask her what she liked about Seven. He finally got to meet MC, but she announced she was definitely going to leave the RFA after that party. It was a pity. She turned out to be nicer than expected.

At the event, Lizzy met V for the first time.

“We finally meet,” V said as the girl looked for her boyfriend.

“Yes, nice to meet you,” she bit her lower lip. By what Yoosung had told her, she didn’t like him at all, but she didn’t want to get carried away by his opinion either.

“Are you looking for Yoosung?” he asked. She nodded and he pointed at a room behind her. “He’s taking more glasses from there.”

“Thank you,” she said, and rushed towards the room. “Yoosung?” she asked, opening it.

“Lizzy!” he exclaimed, happy to see her. “How did you find me here?”

Lizzy was at a lost or words. She wasn’t expecting Yoosung to look so handsome in his new clothes.

“Ah, mmm... V told me.”

Yoosung frowned and he looked just adorable.

“Did you meet him?”

“Aha.”

“What do you think?”

“Aha.”

“Are you okay? Your face is really red,” he asked, suddenly worried.

“I’m perfectly fine. Weren’t you working?” She damned herself, realising that had come out ruder than expected.

“Sorry!” Yoosung exclaimed. “By the way,” he turned to face her again, “you look very pretty.”

Lizzy died and was buried in a beautiful place.

“Don’t say that, silly!” she exclaimed, trying to go away.

“Eh? Why?”

Yoosung followed her, about to cry. What had he said?

“Because it’s embarrassing.”

“Sorry,” he pouted. “Why are you acting so cold?” he asked, extremely worried.

“Because you look so handsome in your suit you make me shy!” she finally confessed.

They remained two blushing messes for the rest of the party.

Seven looked at his clock. He had told Mina to come too, but she was not showing up. He frowned. Why wouldn’t she come? Was she that busy? After some moments of hesitation, he decided to call her.

“Are you coming, pricklepoe?”

“I am,” she replied.

“Well, where are you?” Seven asked, impatient.

“I’m at Pricklepoeland,” she said just as he saw her entering the hall and laughed. “You know, I had a lot of problems to get in because you didn’t inform anyone that I was coming.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he laughed.

He looked at her dress. It was a long tight red dress that fit her perfectly and marked her elegant figure. He hadn’t realised before, but Mina’s body was extremely beautiful. Her face too, though serious, was pretty.

“Let me introduce you to the rest of the members,” he said, blushing lightly.

She nodded and followed him.

All of them were surprised to see Seven’s famous maid.

“So you really exist?” Zen asked her, giving her a drink. “Though by your beauty you don’t look from this world,” he winked.

She frowned.

“I’m from a country near Poland,” she replied.

Seven laughed.

“Next to Poland actually!” he corrected her.

“Really?” Zen asked, surprised.

“It’s called Pricklepoeland.”

He stared at her, puzzled. If Seven were telling him this, he wouldn’t have believed a word of it, but being the beautiful girl in front of him who said it, he just had to fall for it.

“I didn’t know that place.”

“It’s a prickleprank,” Jumin said.

All looked at him, about to face palm themselves (if that exists) when Mina started to laugh. Seven had never been hurt that much before.

“Are you telling me Jumin Humourless Han made you laugh more than my perfect jokes?!” he exclaimed.

Jumin smiled.

“Well, some people prefer a more elevated humour,” he replied, which made Mina laugh more and increased Zen’s desire to kill himself.

Lizzy approached Yoosung with some drinks.

“Thank you,” he said, smiling at her.

“You’re welcome.”

She sit next to him, still blushing a little when he looked at her boyfriend, and saw him observe Seven and Rhiannon, who were chatting at a corner.

“Are you happy for them?” she smiled.

Yoosung frowned.

“I don’t like her.”

“Why not?” Lizzy asked, surprised. “At first I thought I wasn’t going to like her too, but she looks sweet and kind.”

He sighed.

“But she doesn’t seem to love Seven.”

“You think?” she asked.

“And Seven doesn’t look happy.”

“I don’t know,” she replied, looking at them. She thought they seemed happy.

“Would you dance with me?” Zen asked Mina.

She nodded, giving him her hand and started to spin around the room with him.

“Have we ever met before?” Zen asked.

“I don’t think so,” Mina frowned.

“Are you sure? I think I’ve seen you somewhere else,” Mina shook her head. “You dance beautifully,” Zen smiled.

“Thank you,” the girl smiled.

Seven’s eye caught their lovely dance. She did do it very well. The music seemed to find its way down her back and fly with the movement of her skirt. Zen took her by the waist and lifted her, turning her around, and Seven saw her chuckle. She seemed to be having a great time dancing. The song finished and he clapped, walking towards them.

“Are you too tired for another dance?” he asked her.

“I’m never too tired not to dance,” she smiled, placing a hand on his.

Seven had learnt to dance in one of his missions, but he wasn’t as good as Zen or her, which he regretted.

“You seem to love dancing,” he smiled, looking down at her.

The girl looked at his eyes.

“I do.”

They continued dancing in silence, for Seven just wanted to enjoy of the way she moved at the rhythm of the music. The room seemed to have vanished and he thought he was learning more about her just dancing without words than asking her the questions he knew she wasn’t going to answer. He learnt about the warmth of her hands, the smile of her feet, the laughter of her steps, and for the first time since he met her she seemed really happy and enjoying, though the flow in her movements also seem to carry some kind of melancholy he couldn’t quite identify. He let himself get carried away from that same happiness and for the first time he felt bright as who he was.

“I wish we would never stop dancing,” he whispered.

If she heard, she didn’t say anything, though her hand around his seemed to become shier.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you somewhere?” Seven asked Mina.

“I brought my car,” she replied.

They said goodbye and Rhiannon and Seven went to his house.

“Did you enjoy the party?” Seven asked.

“I really did, they were all so friendly,” she smiled and stretched her arms. “But I am really tired now.”

Seven nodded, focused on the road, and Rhiannon started closing her eyes, looking through the window at the passing landscape until she fell asleep. She woke up on Seven’s arms, who was taking her to her room. She smiled. He left her on the bed and turned to go out of the room.

“Where are you going?” she asked, confused.

“I’m just going to check whether MC arrived safely on the security cameras and then I’ll go to bed,” he smiled at her.

She nodded, falling asleep again in a minute.

He turned on the security feedback and sighed in relief when nothing seemed out of the extraordinary. MC had gone back to the apartment to pack a couple of things before going back home. She had been decided to lose all contact to the RFA members, but she had liked them during the party. Maybe they were worth remembering.

Seven startled when the security system of the apartment went off. He started typing like crazy, but before he could re-establish it a man had already entered the apartment and was talking to MC. Seven took his phone and called MC.

“It’s Seven,” she told the hacker.

He nodded and put off his mask, showing his face. That face... it could not be.

“I’ll enter your stupid game and call you Luciel,” the man’s voice sounded in his ear.

Seven recognised it immediately.

“W-what are you doing there?” he started to tremble uncontrollably, getting impossible for him to stand up and look for the keys of his car to go there immediately.

“Oh, you think you had got rid of me, didn’t you?” he asked, looking amused at MC. “You were wrong.”

“What are you saying? I never wanted to get rid of you.”

Unknown’s face became serious.

“Liar! You abandoned me!”

“I didn’t, Saeran, let me explain,” Seven said, finally getting up and looking for his keys.

“Don’t call me that name!” he exclaimed, taking MC. “Goodbye, Luciel,” he said with a sarcastic tone. “If you don’t want her or the rest of your precious RFA to get hurt, come and find me.”

It was going to be impossible for Seven to arrive there before the hacker left, and he wouldn’t be able to track them if he did, so he sat on his chair, holding back tears, and started to type frenetically, but he couldn’t concentrate.

“He was supposed to be alright! Damn! He was supposed to be fine!” he yelled.

He was panicking. His hands trembled and he couldn’t put himself together. He found himself typing ‘Saeran’ and then his own name, and erased them quickly.

“I can’t find him,” he whispered, putting his head between his hands.

Rhiannon found him still in the computers room the next day, his eyes red and swollen and dark circles under his eyes.

“Luciel, are you okay?” she asked, advancing towards him. “You didn’t come back to bed yesterday and I was worried.”

“They took him,” he whispered.

“Who took whom, Luciel? Does it have something to do with work?”

“It’s all my fault!” he exclaimed, pushing her and taking the keys of his car.

“What are you doing?!” Rhiannon exclaimed, worried.

“I’m going to look for my brother.”

“You have a brother?”

Seven sat inside his car only to realise once again he didn’t know where to go. When he went back to the living room, Rhiannon wasn’t there. He couldn’t care less. He had to find his brother. He sat at his desk and started typing once again, but it was of no use. The hacker had already changed the few algorithms he got to decipher during the night. Seven was exhausted. The tears started to fall down his cheeks as he tried to calm down and go back to work, and he felt his hands trembling again. Then, he heard the door of his house opening. He rushed there and found Mina tying up her hair as she always did before working, the familiar sight bringing some sense to his panicking mind.

“Pricklepoe,” he said.

She looked at him and startled when she saw him crying, abandoning her hair and walking towards him. He met her with an embrace.

“I’ve lost him!” he exclaimed.

She rubbed his back softly before he broke the embrace and took her to the computers room.

“Sit down,” he said and she complied.

He sat down on the floor next to her and put his head on her lap.

“Remember the boy of the photos?”

“I do.”

“He’s my twin brother.”

The details came to her in a complete disorder, but she somehow got to understand the main point of Seven’s story.

“It’s going to be alright, Seven,” she said, caressing his hair. “We’re going to find him.”

“Saeyoung,” he sobbed. “My name is Saeyoung.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a new chapter!!
> 
> Thank you so much for your kudos and comments, it really encourages me to continue writing <3
> 
> I hope you like this one :3

“Sae-”

She was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Seven immediately stood up and entered his computers to see Rhiannon waiting at the entrance with a box of HBC in her hand. He opened the door and went to the living room, followed by Mina, where he received her in an embraced. She hugged him back, giving him a small kiss on the lips.

“I’m sorry, Luciel,” Rhiannon said. “I got scared and run away. I-I didn’t know what to do. I brought you these,” she smiled, “I know you like them. Now, tell me everything.”

Saeyoung shook his head.

“It’s okay. Thank you,” he kissed her.

Mina didn’t stay to look at this whole scene, of course, but disappeared into the kitchen, and sat on a chair, still shocked by what Seven had told her.

The next three days were hell for Seven. He was every time quicker to decipher the algorithms and was getting closer to know where his brother was hiding, but he always got to hide the information when he was just about to achieve it. Rhiannon was getting more and more worried about him as the days went by and he didn’t open his computer’s room door except to get more Dr Pepper or go the toilet. Mina was getting worried too. She didn’t know what to do to help, so she just focused on cleaning as well as she could and even prepared a meal once, only to earn a suspicious look from Rhiannon.

One morning, Seven thought he was going to fall asleep on the keyboard when a message popped out on his computer screen.

_Having fun?_ , the message read.

He typed an answer immediately, begging Saeran to let him go to him and assuring once again he hadn’t abandoned him, that he thought he was alright.

_You should have asked your little friend how I was, then,_ he replied, sarcastically.

Seven startled. Friend?

_For she is the Saviour who brought me to Mint Eye._

The screens went black. Seven stood sitting on the chair, looking at the ceiling. Friend. Which friend? Did he mean Rika? It was not possible, since Rika would never do such a thing and was dead now. What was he talking about? He went out of the room, bewildered, trying to think about someone who could do such a thing. Mina was in the kitchen when he entered, cleaning the dishes.

“Where is Rhiannon?” he asked her.

“She’s gone to buy dinner,” Mina replied.

Seven reclined on the kitchen door, looking at her.

“What do you do apart from working here?” he asked her.

He didn’t know anything about her. She could as well be the one who had dragged Saeran into Mint Eye. The thought of it was driving him insane, but he just couldn’t think of anyone else. He had already done a background research on Lizzy after she started dating Yoosung, and MC. Jumin had done the same with Jaehee. He had even investigated Rhiannon, but Mina was a mystery.

Mina startled, and Seven took that as a confirmation. He walked towards her and took her wrist, making her look up at him, surprised.

“Did you drag Saeran to Mint Eye?”

“What are you ta-?”

“Did you?!” he exclaimed, pushing her and making her fall on the floor. “I trusted you!” he was losing control and Mina looked up at him, scared. Seven was so hurt he couldn’t stop his body from trembling. “You did well pretending to listen to my story, didn’t you? Bring me to him!”

“Sae-”

“Don’t say my name!”

He was going to grab her by the wrist when his phone rang. He went to fetch it and Mina rushed towards the main door to get out, but Seven was faster and closed it, standing between her and it. He took his phone, never taking his eyes off Mina.

“Yes?”

“Luciel? It’s me. I’m sorry.”

Seven startled when he heard V’s voice at the other side o the phone.

“What do you mean you’re sorry?”

Mina only understood part of the conversation. She heard something about Rika, who she knew was the one who was in charge of the RFA until she died. Was she alive? She studied Seven’s face, still scared of him. He looked confused, but, above all, he looked hurt.

“I trusted you! Fuck!” he exclaimed, kicking the door and making Mina startle and grab the end of her own t-shirt, holding back a sob.

She just wanted to get out of there. Seven finally hung up, giving her a pain-tainted look. He stepped back, giving her free leave to cross the door.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, falling on the floor and burying his eyes on his hands, his body trembling.

She didn’t waste a moment getting out of there, running to the car, her heart still racing in her chest. She sat inside her car, her shaking hands looking for her keys, but was clever enough to breathe deep and calm down before inserting the keys and going back home. She was hurt, but she couldn’t blame Seven for not trusting her. She put the keys in the car and turned them, her car roaring in response. She just had to go away, never go back, forget about Seven and his lame jokes, his melancholy, his... his hurt expression.

“Fuck,” she whispered, getting out of the car.

Seven heard the door opening and felt a pair of arms embracing his head.

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “Mina, I’m so sorry.”

He grabbed the back of her shirt, as he heard her softening voice with words of comfort.

“We’re going to find him, Saeyoung.”

 

Mina could hear Saeyoung’s frantic typing as she opened the door for that girl. Rhiannon went in and sat on the sofa, licking a lollipop. Mina sighed. Should she ask her to comfort Saeyoung? Just when she was about to speak, he went out of his room.

“Pricklepoe, I need more holly water!” She got on her tiptoes and stretched to reach the last stand, one of her legs up to reach higher and gave him a can of Dr Pepper. “Wow, are you a ballerina or something?” he asked.

“Actually, I used to study ballet when I was little,” she replied, throwing the can at him.

Seven smiled. She had answered.

“Pricklerine.”

“I grew up in a posh house and went to a posh school. It was either that or sewing.”

Seven laughed. He went to the living room with his Dr Pepper and hugged Rhiannon when he saw her on the sofa.

“Hi, Rhiannon,” he said.

“Hi,” she smiled. “Luciel, I’ve been thinking,” she lowered her voice. “Don’t you think that, having me here, you should fire her?” she asked, pointing at Mina. “I mean, I can do all the work, and I’d do it for free.”

Seven froze.

“But I have enough money,” he replied, his smile never faltering.

“I don’t know, it’s just weird to have her come when there’s no need.”

“I’ll think about it.”

When he turned around he saw Mina, and by the look on her face, she had probably listened. He took her to the kitchen and they sat down at the table.

“Well, did you hear?” Saeyoung asked. She nodded. “Do you think you’ll have any problems finding somewhere else to work?” she shook her hear. “Well...”

She turned round and picked up her things, leaving a reluctant and sad Saeyoung at the kitchen. He followed her and she faced him before leaving.

“You haven’t paid me yet,” she said.

“That’s true!” he smiled. “You’ll have to come tomorrow because I don’t have any cash!”

She nodded and left without saying a word.

 

When she arrived the next day, she found an empty house.

“Seven?” she called him.

He appeared, tired, at the living room.

“Good morning, pricklepoe.”

“Isn’t that girl home?”

He hesitated.

“I think she isn’t.”

She stretched out her hand, looking at him, who stared at it for a moment, almost confused.

“My money,” she said.

“Oh, that’s right!” he exclaimed, looking for his wallet. “I almost forgot, silly me,” Saeyoung tried to fill the tension with some rambling as Mina looked at him in silence. “Here it is!” he looked at her for a moment before starting to count the money, nervous. He finally gave it to her. “You know? It will feel lonely without you here,” he bit his lower lip.

Her expression changed to one of anger.

“Well, you’re the one asking me to leave!” she exclaimed, throwing the money at him. “I don’t want this now.”

“Mina, wait,” he called her, taking her by the wrist. “I can’t do anything about it.”

“Can’t you?”

“Please,” he begged her. “Don’t leave angry at least.”

“No, Saeyoung, I’m going to leave angry and hurt,” she turned to face him, her expression reflecting her words. “You’re letting me in, making me believe you care, doing to me the same thing she is doing to you, and that’s not fair.”

“I am not, you don’t have feelings for me.”

Mina freed her hand with a quick move and looked at the floor.

“Stupid.”

Saeyoung widened his eyes.

“Do... you?”

She stood there for a moment, but started to move away without answering.

“Mina, please, wait,” he called her again, moving between her and the main door, at which she turned back and locked herself up in the toilet. “Mina, please, come out. Let’s talk about this,” silence. “Mina, you can’t have feelings for me,” Saeyoung said, sitting on the floor. “I’m too dangerous,” he buried his face in his arms.

“But she can,” she replied.

“She doesn’t love me. It’s easier this way.”

“And why are you with her?”

Saeyoung hesitated.

“I just promised myself I would make her feel loved.”

“You love her?” Mina asked, and he didn’t reply. “I thought so. Why does she call you Luciel, then? Why doesn’t she know about your childhood?”

“Mina, please, stop,” Saeyoung asked.

“Why don’t you go to her when you’re in pain?”

“Mina...”

“Why did you tell me to come today? Why did you take so long to look for your wallet? Why did you tell me you would feel lonely without me?”

“Mina, she deserves to be loved,” Saeyoung replied, frustrated.

“And you think you don’t?” she said, opening the door and looking down at him.

He bit his lower lip.

“I know I don’t.”

She went away.

Seven spent all noon at the computers’ room, keeping his mind away from Mina and focusing on finding his brother. He finally did. He found Saeran’s location. His happiness and partial relief were washed away by his sudden need to say goodbye to Mina before leaving. He knew he shouldn’t until he fixed things with Rhiannon. He sighed, frustrated. Even after finding the address, he felt confused and lost.

Rhiannon got him to go out of the computers room at lunch and eat a proper meal, but they stood silent throughout it. He looked at her only to find there was no trace of the girl he had liked. He probably hasn’t liked her that much to begin with. He would have fallen for any sweet smile. Mina never gave him a sweet smile, but he felt she had given him something more.

On the afternoon, Rhiannon left without saying where. Seven took his phone and called Yoosung.

“Is Lizzy there too?” he asked.

“She is!” Yoosung exclaimed, a bit worried about his friend.

The RFA knew superficially all that was happening. Yoosung had tried to reach him at least twice every day, but he wouldn’t pick up.

“We are worried,” Yoosung said.

“I’m going to be fine,” Seven said. “Mina promised me we were going to find him.”

“I’m sure we are,” Yoosung sighed, relieved.

“I need to tell you two something.”

He proceeded to tell them what had happened between him and Mina. Lizzy sighed.

“I knew it!” Yoosung exclaimed. “I knew Rhiannon wasn’t for you!”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know what to do now.”

“Seven,” Lizzy said, entering the maternal mode. “There are two things I want to ask you. You said Rhiannon deserves to be loved, but, do you love her?”

“That’s...”

“And second and most important thing,” Lizzy interrupted him, already knowing the answer. “Doesn’t Mina deserve to be loved?” Seven startled. “I support Mina’s comment when she said you also deserved to be loved, but being the little piece of self-hatred and altruistic thing you are, I don’t think you’ll agree.”

“You deserve to be happy, Seven,” Yoosung said. “And loved. We already love you, though,” he answered.

“Thank you,” Seven held back tears. He heard the doorbell. “I’m going to talk to Rhiannon now.”

“Good luck,” Lizzy said.

“We love you!” Yoosung exclaimed.

He opened the door and rushed towards the girl.

“Rhiannon, I need to tell you something,” he decided to say as soon as possible, his impatience to say goodbye to Mina and go to his brother urging him. “We can’t keep like this. I... You don’t love me, and... I don’t love you either.”

Rhiannon smiled, caressing his cheek.

“I was going to tell you I’m going to America tomorrow,” she chuckled.

“America?” Saeyoung asked, surprised.

“My parents live there,” she replied. “I-I want to start all over!” she smiled, finally giving him a true smile.

She smiled back and hugged her.

“I’m so happy for you,” he said.

“Thank you. For everything, really. And, I’m sorry.”

Seven shook his head.

“I’ sorry too.”

“I’m going to miss you,” she replied.

“Me too.”

They chuckled.

“Luciel!” she called him before leaving after packing up her things. “You have Mina’s phone, don’t you?”

Seven looked at her, surprised.

“I do.”

“Thanks God,” she sighed. “I hope asking you to fire her gave you a hint about your feelings towards her?” she asked.

Seven was puzzled, but nodded, making her sigh in relief. He chuckled.

“Thank you, Rhiannon.”

“Thank you, Luciel.”

And so she left.

Seven took his phone and called her.

“Mina, can I see you?”

“No,” she replied.

“Are you still mad?” he asked. She didn’t answer. “Please, I... well, Rhiannon and I broke up.”

Silence.

“Really?”

“Yes,” he replied. More silence. “I spoke first, but she was going to leave me anyway,” he continued speaking, nervous. “And I wanted to tell you. I also got to find out Saeran’s location this morning,” he continued, “and I wanted to say goodbye.”

“I’ll send you an address,” she replied.

Saeyoung startled.

“Address?”

“I want to show you who I really am.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm nervous xD Here comes the chapter in which Mina's secret is revealed!!
> 
> I really hope you like it.
> 
> Thank you for reading <3

The alley was dark and stunk of alcohol and rubbish. Seven walked to the dark metallic door behind which the local of the direction Mina had sent him was supposed to be. He hesitated before knocking, but finally did. The door opened at his touch.

The room’s light was dim in purple and blue colours, tainting the smoke of the lit cigarettes of these colours. Seven looked around, looking for Mina while the loud music sounded all over the local. He felt dizzy and anxious, and all he wished was getting where she was. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around, meeting the look of a dark pair of eyes. She was thin and kept her short blonde hair in a high ponytail. She was holding a cigarette on her hand and looked at him suspiciously.

“Are you Mina’s guest?” she asked.

“I am,” he replied.

“I’m Rachel,” she said, offering her hand, which he shook. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

Okay, she seemed serious.

“Where is she?”

Rachel grinned.

“You’ll see her in a minute.”

She pointed at a dark point at the end of the room. Seven adjusted his glasses to try and see it better, but it was not illuminated and the light of the rest of the room wasn’t strong enough to see what was there. He turned to look for Rachel and saw her sitting at a table, pointing at a chair for him to sit, and so he did.

“Want something to drink?” she asked.

“Do you have Dr Pepper?” he replied, grinning.

She looked at him, pissed off.

“Really?”

“Ja, wohl!” he exclaimed, but she didn’t reply.

The music changed and the black spot was illuminated by red lights and then he saw it. A pole bar. And Mina. Going down the damn pole bar in a shirt, black stockings and... wait. Was she wearing anything under it?

“You are as pale as if you had seen a ghost,” Rachel spoke up, a clear smirk in her voice.

_My blood is somewhere else_ , Seven thought.

Mina started to dance at the rhythm of the song, but the dance was actually pretty lame.

“Damn, she’s nervous.”

Seven looked at Rachel, who was biting her nails, and back at the scenery. That’s when Mina’s eyes found his.

Her dance changed dramatically, making the public yell and clap in excitement. She was too sensual. Her movements, the faces she made while dancing, the way she seemed to play with her hair as she moved with the music, all of them were extremely erotic and, what was worse for the hacker, all of them she did looking directly at _him_. He appreciated more than ever the dim light, for his blush was too evident and something down there was starting to wake up. She moved down and took off her shirt to reveal a black lace body and went back to the pole. But there was something more in her dance than mere eroticism. There was passion, there was attraction, but there was also loneliness and a wish to speak and to be listened. There was some kind of secret and silent liberation of speech and communication, and every time their eyes met for more than 5 seconds, there was warmth and love. And Seven was going to lose his mind.

The show ended and she bowed as everybody except Seven and Rachel clapped. He closed his eyes, trying to calm down and make some sense of what he had just seen. Was this Mina’s secret?

“Are you dead?” Rachel asked.

“I think so,” he replied, earning a punch on his arm.

“Put yourself together, you’re going to see her in a minute,” she said, standing up.

He stood up with her, still feeling dizzy.

“Are you going to take me to her?”

“Can you go on your own?” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t underestimate me,” he grinned.

Rachel rolled her eyes.

“I am.”

He followed her behind a door and down a corridor. She opened another door and he saw Mina talking to other girl, her semi-naked body covered in a black gown.

“Here’s prince charming,” Rachel said.

Mina looked at them, and moved towards Seven, taking his hand and dragging him out of the building without saying anything. Her grab was strong, and Seven could tell that, even though she didn’t show it, she was nervous. They got out to an inner courtyard which had two flower pots, the plants in them dead, and which floor was full of cigarettes buts and dirt. She sat on the end of the stairs and he did the proper, next to her. She had a light blush on her cheek and her breath came out of her mouth like smoke due to the coldness of the night. He realised she was probably wearing only that body under her gown, and if it wasn’t enough confirmation, she shivered, so he put her hoodie round her shoulders, making her smile lightly.

“This is who I am,” she said.

He put a hand on her head.

“You dance beautifully.”

She looked up at him, surprised, her blush deeper. They remained in silence for some moments.

“It has always been difficult for me to express my feelings or emotions,” she started. “It’s not that the people around me are not interested or that I shouldn’t express them, but I was just... apathetic?” she sighed. “There was nothing that could make me interested enough to provoke a reaction of any kind in my face or gestures, and I just got used to remain stoic. And then there was music,” she smiled, looking at him. “Music made me feel alive as nothing else could, and I started to show the feelings I didn’t know I got trapped inside myself dancing, so whenever I felt happy, stressed or sad, I went to the ballet studio where I learnt to dance and put on some music and danced. I never had too many friends because people liked me as much as I liked them,” she shrugged, “which is not too much.” Seven chuckled and she did so too. “But I discovered my sexuality when I was around sixteen, of course, and I became wanton. I wanted to experiment with my body, but not in the same ways other people wanted, so I chose the sexiest music I knew and started to dance at its tune. Rachel saw me and taught me pole dancing, which I loved, and I ended up here at eighteen.” Seven stood in silence for a while. “Did you expect a traumatic past in which I found myself obliged to be a striper or something?” Mina asked, nervous.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Do you like what you do?”

“I feel I enjoy my sexuality that way more than having sex. I feel pretty and sensual.”

“Have you ever slept with someone of your audience?”

“I have,” she replied. “With Rachel too, sometimes when we were rehearsing. But I stopped doing it after I met you,” she whispered, loud enough for Seven to listen. “When I met you,” she continued, “you made me feel annoyed,” she chuckled. “Oh, my God, you can be so annoying,” Seven smiled lightly. “But, you know? It was the first time I felt so annoyed by someone. And then, you made me smile and said my smile was pretty, and then I felt maybe your words were like music,” she sentenced, making him blush like crazy and his breath caught up in his throat.

“Did you have any troubles when you started working here?”

“Quite a few,” she sighed. “My family didn’t approve of it, so I went out of home. They apologised and asked me to come back, but honestly, I didn’t like their look and decided to continue living with Rachel. I became more solitary than before, and everybody judged me,” she sighed.

“I see.”

“I really didn’t mind as long as I danced, but I started hiding it since it was easier to make acquaintances. I’m sorry I hid it from you. I didn’t want to be judged. People never understand...”

“Why do you have to take extra work?”

“This doesn’t pay much,” she frowned.

“How did Vanderwood find you?”

“I actually knew them already and we simply met on the streets once.”

“Do they know you’re working here?”

“I think they’ve got an idea, but I never told them.”

“Have you slept with them?”

She gave him a look.

“Do you mind that much?” he shrugged. “I have.”

He approached her, secretly.

“What do they have down there?”

She gave him a suspicious look.

“Are you asking me about Vanderwood’s genitalia?”

Seven startled.

“Okay, I don’t want to know!”

She chuckled and he patted her hair.

“Have you ever worked as something else? Apart from as a maid, I mean.”

“I’ve performed in some musicals or ballets sometimes,” she said. “Actually, I worked with Zen once, but my hair was short back then.”

“Really?” he startled.

“For real! He almost recognised me at the party and I thought I was going to die!”

They laughed.

“It’s because he always remembers pretty girls.”

“Are you flirting with me, Mr Dangerous?” she arched an eyebrow.

“Are you teasing me, Miss Stoic?”

“Fuck you,” she punched him

“You started,” he laughed.

They remained silent for a while, looking up the stars.

“So you’re going tomorrow after your brother.”

“I am.”

“What time are we going?”

He looked at her, surprised.

“What?”

“What time are we going?” she repeated.

“You’re not coming.”

“I am.”

“No, Mina, it’s too dangerous.”

“I don’t mind. I told you _we_ were going to find him.”

“I don’t care about what you said, there’s no way I’ll let you come with me.”

“It cannot be so dangerous if you’re going on your own,” Mina insisted. “And if it is, I’d better help you.”

“No, you cannot be put in danger.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, because you’ll stay home.”

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“You’re being stubborn too.”

“What if you cannot bring your brother home because you needed some help after all?”

Seven frowned.

“Mina, don’t do this.”

She hid her face in her crossed arms.

“But I cannot stay still if you’re in danger.”

Seven blushed.

“And I cannot take you,” he put an arm round her shoulders, insecure and hesitant, but relaxed when she came closer to him.

They stood like that for a while.

“I’m glad I get to know you better before going,” Seven smiled.

“You’re stupid,” she said, her face still hidden in her arms.

“I’m not stupid! I’m God 707!” She sighed. “I promise I’ll come back before you notice I’m gone.”

“You’d better.”

She had said so, but there was no way she was going to let him go alone, so she camped on the door of his home all the night after she finished her work in the club. Nevertheless, Seven had decided to go to the hackers that very night, before Mina finished work, seen that he couldn’t sleep after all, so at 7 am, when she got too nervous to wait anymore, she entered Seven’s home and found it empty.

“Damn,” she whispered, desperate.

There was only one thing she thought she could do.

“Vanderwood,” she said on the phone. “Can I ask you a favour?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it was, Mina is overdramatic xD
> 
> I hope it didn't disappoint you!
> 
> Thank you for reading and, please, don't forget leaving comments with what you thought about the chapter <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a new chapter! With the beginning of the semester it's taking me longer to upload >.<
> 
> There's smut towards the end of this chapter :3
> 
> I hope you like it! Thank you for reading, and your kudos and comments <3

“I never ask you anything!” Mina exclaimed, exasperated. “Just, please, you can track him, right? You can find out where he is.”

“If he told you it’s too dangerous it’s for a reason. You shouldn’t be talking to me by phone about this either.”

“Everyone is going on and on with the ‘it’s-too-dangerous’ thing, when you two are the ones who are in danger most of the time,” she spat at him and Vanderwood sighed. “Please, I’ll do anything, Vanderwood.”

“Wait a minute,” they answered.

Five minutes later, she heard a claxon out of Seven’s home and saw Vanderwood’s car.

“Thank you,” she said, sitting on the co-driver seat.

“Yeah, you’d better be thankful.”

“You think we’ll find him?”

“I’ve already done all the tracking,” they sighed. “God. He had to stop on his way last night and my car is quicker than his, he prefers being showy rather than fast in what cars are concerned, so _probably_.”

“Probably?” Mina raised an eyebrow, but Vanderwood shrugged. She let out a breath of resignation and accommodated herself in Vanderwood’s seat, looking out of the window and praying the odds to find him.

 

Seven’s anxiety was increasing again. He tried to put on some music and concentrate on the road to distract his thoughts from his brother and MC, but he just couldn’t. He blamed himself for what was happening to the two of them, and prayed God for help to take them back, if that God even existed. He wasn’t sure by then. He was going to get insane for the third time that morning, so he had to stop again and concentrate in his breathing to avoid having an accident. He decided eating HBC would be a good idea seen that he hadn’t eaten anything since lunch the day before. He sighed. His hands were trembling when he opened the bag, and when he was about to eat the first one, a car passed at a high speed next to him and stopped in front of his, making a dangerous turn. He startled when he recognised the car and frowned. If the agency was behind him for his delay, they would have to wait. He had important things to do and, besides, had promised Mina he would be home as soon as possible and safe and sound.

Vanderwood got off the car, and Seven did so too, ready for a big argument and maybe a fight. What he was not ready for, though, was to see Mina getting off the car too and walking towards him.

“What the fuck, Mina?!” he exclaimed, looking at her and Vanderwood. “Vanderwood, take her back!” he yelled at them, pushing Mina slightly.

Vanderwood shrugged and got in his car.

“Either you take her with you or she spends the day here until someone else finds her,” they said and drove away, avoiding Seven’s jumping in the car’s way, fortunately.

“I told you I was going with you,” Mina frowned.

“God!” Seven exclaimed, kicking his car. “Mina! I told you it was dangerous! Are you even listening?” he asked when Mina got indifferently into the car and put her seatbelt on.

Seven sat on the driver’s seat and started eating his chips, angry. They stood in silence for a while until Mina finally spoke up.

“We can change seats whenever you feel tired,” she said. “I also brought sandwiches and canned food, I’m not willing to starve even if you feel like it. I also brought proper water,” she concluded, offering him a sandwich and a bottle.

He finally looked at her and started to drive, taking the sandwich and giving it a violent bite. It tasted good. Fuck. They remained in silence for a while until Seven decided to break it when he started to feel anxious again.

“How did you meet Vanderwood?” he asked, looking at the road.

Mina frowned.

“I don’t know if I should tell you,” she replied.

“If you’re worried about the agency, Vanderwood is going to have more problems when they find out they found me and didn’t chase me than a silly girl talking about their past.”

“Is Vanderwood in problems because of me?” Mina asked.

“Yah. I didn’t finish some work I had to do, so they should be chasing, maybe killing?, me instead of playing around with capricious girls.”

Seven’s words hurt himself too. He looked at Mina through the corner of his eye and saw her curled up on the seat, her face with a melancholic tint. He couldn’t help being angry at her. He had repeated over and over again he didn’t want to be followed by her, but she had ignored him. If something happened to Mina... he shook his head to take away those thoughts.

“I’m going to steal you Honey Buddha Chips,” she announced, taking the bag from the back seat.

“I thought you preferred healthy food?”

“Because you’re talking like an asshole. I’m going to eat your food because you’re talking like an asshole.”

Seven sighed, but said nothing.

Some hours later, they stopped at a petrol station.

“Don’t you need to go to the toilet?” he asked her, who stayed in the car.

“I won’t give you an opportunity to run away,” she replied.

Seven sighed.

“I won’t.”

She looked at him for some time, her expression troubled, and went out of the car, stopping after going out of the toilet to buy some chocolates.

“Don’t pay by credit card,” Seven whispered, and she complied.

They continued their way in silence as the night started to fall on them. Seven was muttering something to himself when he took a way which went out of the main road.

“What are you doing?” Mina asked.

“We are later than I thought. We’ll get there tomorrow.”

“I can drive while you sleep,” she insisted.

“No,” he simply answered, stopping the car between the trees. He went out of the car, silent, and Mina followed him. “You stay in the car,” he said when he saw Mina going out.

“Stop telling me what I should do!” she exclaimed, throwing a bag of the stolen HBC to his face. He covered it with his arms and took the bag from the floor. “I’ll follow you if I want to, I’ll go out of the car if I want to, I’ll stay in the car if I want to!” she yelled, turning around and heading forward.

“Where are you going?” Seven asked, worried.

“I’m going to dance.”

“Do you have your phone with you?” he said, fearing she might get lost.

“I don’t, I didn’t want to be tracked.”

He sighed, following her when she was at some distance and hiding to watch her. The moon illuminated her body and features as she danced to an inaudible music, looking like a spirit of the forest. He could hear her humming a soft melody as she moved softly between the trees, spinning around and lifting her arms and legs. She looked angry, but above all, she seemed sad and insecure. Seven turned around. He felt guilty for making her feel like this, but he was just hoping she would give in and go away and abandon him in his dangerous task. Of course, she knew better than that, stubborn girl. He stopped hearing her humming and turned to look at her, finding her closer than expected.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Making sure you don’t get lost.”

“I thought you wanted just that.”

He sighed and put a hand behind her back, leading her to the car. They sat on their respective seats and Mina took out from her bag some canned food, offering one to Seven. He took it and blushed lightly when their fingers touched, which made him feel silly. She took out two plastic forks and they started eating in silence.

“You can go and sleep at the back seat,” Seven said.

“You should do that since you’re going to be the one driving tomorrow and need some rest.”

“I can recline the seat,” he replied, “and rest as well as in the back seat.”

“Are you sure?” her voice seemed somehow happier and Seven looked at her, seeing a small smile through the darkness of the night. “You have to be ready to meet you brother tomorrow.”

He hadn’t realised he had wanted to cry that badly until he started to do it at those words. He started to dry his tears with one hand, repressing his sobs as best as he could, as Mina caressed the other with her fingers.

“He thinks I abandoned him when the only thing that kept me sane all this time were the photos of him smiling,” he sobbed.

“Do you have them here?” she asked. He nodded. “Do you want to see them?”

“No, they were all lies,” Seven replied.

“I’m sure you’ll get to see his real smile soon,” she said.

He looked at her for a second before hugging her tight as she caressed his hair in a comforting way.

“How can you be so amazing?” he asked. She continued caressing his hair and rubbing his back until his sobs stopped. “Now, are you going to take my offer and go to sleep to the backseat?” he smiled, breaking the embrace.

She sighed and moved to the back of the car and Seven reclined his seat. When she lied on the seats, she found Seven’s head close to hers. They looked at each other for a while until Mina pressed his forehead against his and Seven reached his hand to hers.

“Why don’t we share the backseat?” Mina suggested.

He thanked the darkness for hiding his embarrassment and nodded, putting the seat back to its position and moving to the back with her, being welcomed by a pair of open arms. He sunk in her embrace, returning it and intertwining his legs with hers.

“I’m sorry I behaved like a jerk all day,” he said.

“Finally,” she chuckled, making him snort a laugh. “I forgive you.”

He tightened his embrace, sighing.

“You must be an angel.”

Mina’s heart raced in her chest, and if she wasn’t flustered before, that made her feel more nervous, fearing Seven would hear it. What she didn’t know was that Seven was just as embarrassed as her, and hoped she would reply something favourable to what he had just said. He knew Mina had liked him, but after arguing and behaving like an asshole all day, he didn’t know if she had changed her mind, which was silly to think taking into account they were cuddling in the backseat of a car, whispering fluffy loving words that make sugar taste bitter, but well.

“What do you want to do after finding your brother?” Mina asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I want to stop working for the agency, that’s for sure, and take care of him until he trusts me.”

“Can I help you?” Mina asked, her voice shaking, fearing a negative answer.

Seven startled.

“I don’t know if I’d be able to handle so much happiness.”

She tightened her embrace.

“Want to try?”

“I do.”

She breathed, relieved, and let out a small chuckle.

“I thought you were going to say no.”

He looked at her, smiling dearly, and caressing her cheek.

“Why would you think that!” he exclaimed, feigning surprise, at which Mina snorted a laugh. “I’m sorry I did for so long,” he got serious again, looking down. “I guess I still have to learn how to love.”

Mina startled at his last words.

“I have to learn too,” she whispered, feeling her face heat up.

“You’re doing it perfect,” Seven replied.

He felt the need to start joking again to hide his embarrassment, but he wouldn’t forgive himself if he ruined the mood. Nevertheless, he was starting to feel anxious and felt he was close to exploding unless they either moved forward or backwards, the first option making him smile, the second making him want to throw himself down a cliff.

“Saeyoung,” Mina whispered, caressing his cheek.

That was how he lost it.

He kissed her forehead, making her startle and grab the chest of his t-shirt. He then kissed the tip of her nose, her chin following it as he gained some confidence when he noticed Mina had lifted his head to meet his lips with hers. She made a sound of complaint when he did so, and he kissed the corner of her mouth lightly. She turned her face a little to give him access to the other corner of her mouth, and when he kissed it, she caressed his lower lip with the tip of her tongue, teasingly. Saeyoung finally put his hands on either side of her head and brought her closer to him, their lips finally meeting and moving slowly and softly. Mina opened her mouth to give access to his tongue, which met hers, like dancing as their bodies pressed and moved against each other, looking for contact through their clothes. Mina broke the kiss, gasping for breath, and Saeyoung took the chance to bite her neck, the urge starting to build inside of him, making her gasp and moan as he kept on biting and sucking.

“Fuck, can I leave marks?” he asked, panting.

“Yes,” she replied, kissing him again hungrily, making him moan against the kiss.

She whispered his name again as he grabbed her ass and brought her crotch close to his hardness, and she slid a hand into his t-shirt to lift it and urge him to take it off. He complied and she took the chance to sit on his lap, caressing his bare chest with her hands and biting his neck as he had done before, making him repress a moan.

“Don’t repress them,” she asked. “They’re like music.”

He sat up and took his time to unbutton her shirt, making her moan in frustration as she felt his breath close to her breasts, sending shivers down her spine, and she rubbed against his arousal to increase his urge, but only got to elicit a moan from the teasing boy which turned her on even more. He finally took it off and stroke her breasts, sucking at the skin which wasn’t covered by her bra, and she took it off. He smiled when she saw the braces loosen, but it was her turn to tease him now, so she put her hands on the cup of her bra and made him beg to uncover her breasts. She finally took it off and he started to lick and suck at her nipples, making her moan and scratch his back. They got rid of their trousers and pants in a second and started rubbing against each other when Seven felt like killing himself.

“I don’t have condoms,” he said between his moans.

“I do,” she said, taking her bag and taking one out of the box.

He raised an eyebrow, smiling, but wouldn’t complain. She put in on him, making him moan, and placed his hardness at her entrance, but he wouldn’t let her take him until she had begged for it.

“Stop being such a tease,” she asked in frustration as she tried to move down, being stopped by Saeyoung’s grab of her ass.

“Or what?”

She bit his neck, making him moan and his grab loosen, and she took the chance to move down, taking him full inside of her, making him groan with her. They fought for control between moans and pants, Saeyoung’s grab of Mina’s hips tightening as he got closer to the edge, but he wouldn’t finish before her, so he moved one of his hands and rubbed her sensitive spot, making her arch her back and moan in delight. He felt her tighten around him and had to make his best not to lose it right then, but when Mina’s moans of his name started to get louder and more frequent, he was brought to his limits, coming with a deep thrust, almost as the same time as her, fortunately.

She embraced him, panting, and he rubbed her naked back and kissed her neck, giving her goosebumps. She moved back to face him and kiss him again, lovingly, and he kissed her back, wishing he could get lost in it.

“You’d better put something on, pricklepoe, if you don’t want to catch a cold,” he teased her.

“You too,” she replied, hitting his chest and making him laugh.

They cuddled again and Mina started to feel her eyelids closing as Saeyoung caressed her hair. It was not so easy for Saeyoung to get sleepy, though. He was tired, but also nervous and worried. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and concentrated on Mina’s deep breathing, which gave him a feeling of reassurance that everything was goign to be alright and that he didn’t have to fight alone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! ^^" I've been busy with school, but I have not forgotten about this story!
> 
> I really hope you like this chapter and, please, expect earlier uploadings from now on!
> 
> Thank you for reading <3

The morning light woke Seven up to find Mina still asleep in his arms. For a second, he forgot about all he came there for. He forgot about the pain of his back after the night sleeping in the car, he forgot about all the pain, all the fear, and could only feel love for the girl that was peacefully sleeping in his arms and chuckle because of the small thread of saliva that went out from her open mouth. But that only lasted for a second.

“Good morning, pricklepoe,” he kissed her cheek.

She muttered in her sleep and opened her eyes, rubbing them, to see Seven’s face looking at her, smiling. She blushed for a moment, but forgot everything but the pain in her back in a second.

“Fuck,” she whispered. “Can I go out and stretch just a moment?” she asked him.

“Okay, but don’t take too long, they could be chasing us.”

She nodded, going out of the car, and Seven followed her. She gave him a couple of instructions on how to stretch properly since he also seemed in pain, and he followed them, making fun of her throughout all the exercises. She just rolled her eyes and ignored him, though a small smile betrayed her indifferent pose.

They went back to the car when they were done and had some breakfast while making their way to Magenta.

“We’ll break through their security system,” Seven explained, “get inside, find my brother and MC, and go out as soon as possible.” She nodded. “There’s no time for anything else, okay? By the way, my brother doesn’t look like the cute tomato you saw in the pictures anymore, he has dyed his hair white and pink and has green eyes.”

She nodded once again. Seven smiled. It was comfortable to be and talk to Mina, and, despite the fear of something happening to her for his fault, he was actually happy she came. She looked understanding, was serious and it was easy to talk to her.

“And one more important thing,” Seven continued, earning and interested look from Mina, “if you feel in danger, no matter what is the situation, just run away. And if I tell you to run away, you do it. Understood?”

“No,” she replied.

Oh, well, he guessed that was the tough part of working with her.

“Well, I’ll make you understand if I have to. I can be dry and hurt you again if I want to, you know?”

“You can’t.”

He looked at her through the corner of his eyes.

“Why not?”

She smiled.

“Want to try?”

“Mina,” he sighed. “Don’t force me to do this.”

“You can’t because you have no reason to behave like that.”

“I do if that means you’ll go away and be safe.”

“Then if you start saying hurting things, I’ll tell you that I love you and you’ll shut up,” she replied, playing with her hair and looking through the window.

Seven startled, blushing like crazy, and they would have had an accident if they had gone faster down the road.

“Y-you can’t say things like that,” he tried to say.

She shrugged.

“I haven’t told you that I love you.”

“Gaaaaaaaaah!! You’re going to make us have an accident.”

She chuckled.

“I’m evil.”

“You wish you were.”

They finally arrived at the outsides of Magenta and moved to the backseat of the car to start dismantling the security system of the building. Mina couldn’t deny she was scared, but she would never acknowledge it. Nevertheless, seeing Seven working like that made her feel somehow safer. He seemed confident about what he was doing and that made her feel a sense of relief.

“Done!” he said after some hours. He stood up and took a couple of things and Mina did the proper, but he suddenly stopped and looked at her. “You sure you don’t prefer staying and waiting for me in the car?”

“I’m going with you,” she said.

He smiled.

“Take my hand, then.”

They entered the building and went across some empty rooms, carefully, following Seven’s indications as to where the computer’s room should be. If Saeran was the hacker of the organisation, he should be there. They were right.

“Well, well, guess who finally came,” they heard a teasing but enraged voice. The dim lights turned on and they could see Saeran standing in the middle of the room, his disturbing look going from Seven to Mina. “And who is this beautiful girl here?”

“Saeran,” Seven said, going towards him. “Saeran, come with me. I can take you out of here. We can live together, I can fulfil my promise now, just...”

“Liar!” Saeran exclaimed, cutting him mid-sentence and hitting a table. “You two will stay here!” he yelled, his eyes widening, conferring his expression a crazy look. “With the difference that your friend here may reach Paradise, and you’ll die!”

“Saeran, please,” Saeyoung begged, his eyes tearing up. “Don’t do this, you don’t want to be a murderer.”

“Don’t come near me!” he exclaimed, taking a gun he had hidden in his jacket. He pointed it at Seven, making him widen his eyes in surprise and horror. “I’ll kill you and your friend if you come closer!”

“Sae...”

“Shut up!” he said, pulling the trigger.

Mina was fast enough to react when she heard the sound of the gun and she pushed an astonished Seven, falling on the floor with him, the bull hurting only Seven’s arm, who let out a faint scream.

“Saeyoung,” she called him, worried, seeing the blood. “Are you okay? Saeyoung?”

“It’s only my arm,” he got to smile.

“So she calls you by that name?” Saeran grinned, pointing at Mina with the gun and pulling at his own hair with his hand, coming closer.

Mina put herself between Saeyoung and Saeran, for the former’s horror, and tried to stand up, but felt a deep pain in her ankle, which almost made her fall. Nevertheless, she stood up and walked towards Saeran slowly.

“Saeran, please, listen. Your brother was deceived.”

“He is not my brother!” he exclaimed, pointing the gun at her.

“Saeran, please!” Saeyoung stood up as fast as he could to try to stand between him and Mina.

Suddenly, Mina walked towards the computers, taking advantage of the fact that Saeran’s attention was directed now towards Saeyoung, and inserted the floppy disk which she had hidden in her hoodie. The boys startled at the change of lights, and looked at the screens, surprised.

“Those photos...”

“Rika sent them when I asked her about you,” Saeyoung said, unable to hold back tears anymore. “She told me you were fine. I thought you were fine.”

Saeran looked at him, surprised, and Mina took the chance while they talked to steal Saeran’s gun.

“Bitch!” he exclaimed, kicking her, but she had thrown the gun near Saeyoung by then.

She fell on the floor, holding her belly in pain and Saeyoung took the gun and run towards her.

“Saeran, please, let’s go,” he insisted.

He looked troubled. He looked to the pictures and back to his brother and that girl, and was about to speak when the door opened.

“Luciel,” they heard a female voice. “Welcome to Magenta.”

In front of them stood Rika, looking down at the couple with a smile.

“Saviour,” Saeran acknowledged her presence and kneeled in front of her.

“Who is this girl, Saeran?” Rika asked him, looking at Mina.

“I don’t know, my Saviour. He arrived with her.”

“What’s your name, girl?” she asked her, getting closer to her. Mina moved back and Saeyoung’s grab on her tightened, bringing her closer to him.

“Who are you?” Mina asked.

“I’m your Saviour,” she smiled sweetly. “Now, tell me your name.”

She stood silent and Rika’s face became darker, frowning. She was about to touch her when Saeyoung spoke up.

“Mina, her name in Mina,” he said.

“Luciel,” Rika said. “You don’t seem really happy to see me,” she made a hurt face. A man approached her from behind. It was V. “Take them to the cells, Saeran,” she spoke up, turning to V and getting out of the room.

Saeran followed her instructions and led them to their cell.

“The Saviour is generous and you’ll be fortunate enough to have some time to say goodbye before I kill you,” he smiled, and went away.

Saeyoung sat, feeling close to fainting and defeated. The look and words of his brother hurt him more than anything else, and he would have given anything to die in that moment if Mina hadn’t been embracing him.

“It’s still not too late,” she whispered. “We can still save him.”

“How’s your ankle?” he asked her. “I saw you got hurt.”

“It hurts a bit, but not too much.”

Saeyoung nodded, too tired to think if her words were true or if she was lying.

“Let me see your arm,” she asked him, taking it carefully.

Seven hissed when he moved it, and Mina frowned, worried. He seemed to have lost a considerable amount of blood. She took off her hoodie and her shirt, bending Seven’s arm with the latter, and put her hoodie on again.

“This should help, but we should get you to a doctor soon,” she whispered.

She didn’t want to make it evident to Saeyoung, but she was panicking. Seeing him so white, covered in blood and hurt was driving her insane. But she had to remain strong for him. She took him in her arms and started to lull him, caressing his hair to make him feel good, but also to calm herself down. Suddenly, they heard a noise in the cell next to theirs.

“Seven?” she heard a female voice.

“MC,” Mina called her.

“Mina, you here too?” she said, standing up. “Please, help me.”

“We are trying to,” Mina replied.

“This will be solved in a minute,” Seven smiled. “I’m God 707!”

The door of the room opened and some men went towards Saeyoung and Mina’s cell, opening it and dragging them out.

“Saeyoung!” Mina exclaimed when a man took her, separating her from her lover and he smiled weakly but reassuringly as all reply.

They were taken to a big circular room, in which Rika sat on a throne. Saeran and V were with her.

“I’ve considered you two are fit for Paradise!” she sentenced. “We can start the process of initiation.”

“Saviour, wait!” Saeran exclaimed, his eyes widened in surprise and anger. “You told me I would get my revenge!”

Rika looked significantly at V.

“I’ve changed my mind, Saeran,” she said. “We need another hacker. It’s your fault, though,” she stood up and walked around the room. “If you weren’t so useless as to let intruders get into Magenta, you could remain the only hacker, but as you are, you’ll need your brother’s help.”

She shrugged, sitting again. Saeran was trembling in anger. He looked at her, his eyes wet with tears and blinded by rage, and took out his gun.

“You’re a traitor too!”

The men who had brought Saeyoung and Mina let go off them, and she tried to walk towards Saeyoung, but felt a pain in the leg that made her fall on the floor before she could reach him. Rika stood up, angry, as Saeran pointed at her with the gun, shaking, and the men moved in front of Rika to protect her.

“No,” he whispered, taking a hand to his hair, smiling and crying. “It’s all your fault,” he said, pointing now and V. “Die!”

“No!” Rika screamed at the same time that Saeran pulled the trigger and V’s body fell lifeless to the ground.

She ran towards him and kneeled before him. She started to whisper and ordered the other members to kill Saeran, but Saeyoung moved between them and when Mina thought the worse would happen, the doors of the room were opened and armed men entered, being followed by Jumin. At that moment, all turned black to Saeyoung.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Here comes chapter 11 :3
> 
> Only a few more chapters to go! I hope you are enjoying this ^^
> 
> Thank you for reading <3

When Saeyoung woke up, he felt something warm on his hand. He looked down to find Mina’s fingers intertwined with his. When she realised he had woken up, Mina motioned quickly to call a nurse, and turned to him again, caressing his face. He looked at her, her face sweet but not very expressive. She looked calm, which somehow distracted him of his confusion, concentrating on her gentle features.

“Where are we?” he got to ask.

“We are in the hospital,” she replied, her voice soft. “How are you feeling?”

“Dizzy,” he replied.

The memories before he fainted came to his mind and he tried to sit up quickly, but felt sick when he tried.

“Be careful,” she said, rubbing his back gently.

A nurse entered the room and started to check him, Mina watching as she did, expecting her answer.

“He looks fine,” she smiled and Mina let out the breath she had been holding. “Just lay a bit more and eat as much as you can to recover, sweetheart!”

He tried to smile and dismiss her as soon as possible, turning again to Mina when she did.

“Where’s my brother?” he asked, anxious.

“Don’t worry, he’s here in the hospital,” Mina smiled. “You saved him.”

“God,” Saeyoung said, reclining on his pillow again. “Thanks God. And thank you.”

“No need,” she replied.

“How is he?” he asked and Mina’s expression darkened. “Is something wrong?” he inquired, anxious again.

“He’s not hurt, but his mental condition is... unstable.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“He’s violent and showing suicidal tendencies,” she explained, her voice as calmed as she could make it. Saeyoung’s look turned troubled. “They wanted to sedate him, but I didn’t let them, I...”

“Thank you,” he replied, making her startle. “I guess you had to take all the decisions as I was asleep.”

“Don’t say it that way,” she could see the guilty look in his eyes. “You’d be a monster if you had stood awake after losing so much blood, Saeyoung, and I didn’t feel burdened.”

He sighed.

“How long have I been sleeping?” he asked.

“A day.”

“What happened when I fainted?”

“Apparently, V had called Jumin to tell him where we were and he came here with bodyguards and took us and the rest of the people of the cult and prisoners out.”

“V!” he startled. “Is he hurt?”

“He...” Mina looked at the floor and Saeyoung widened his eyes in surprise.

“No...”

“He didn’t survive the wound,” Mina bit her lower lip.

“No. No! My brother is not a murderer!” Saeyoung took his hands to his head.

“I know, Saeyoung,” she said, taking them, but he shook them from her with a quick movement. “Saeyoung, calm down, nothing is going to happen to him, Jumin told me he’s going to take care of everything.”

Saeyoung froze and looked at Mina, desperate.

“V was his best friend, Mina,” he whispered.

Mina startled.

“I didn’t know that.”

“And my brother killed him.”

“Saeyoung, I’ve talked to him. Jumin does not blame your brother,” she rubbed his back. “He knows he was brainwashed. He said he was going to make sure the police didn’t investigate him, and the therapist who’s going to treat your brother is going to keep the secret, he promised.”

Saeyoung was trembling.

“Mina,” he called her. “Are we going to be alright?”

“We are,” she assured him. “We are.”

 

Lizzy entered the hospital in a rush.

“The lift, please?” she asked one of the nurses, who pointed at it with her head.

She ran towards the elevator and pushed the third button. When the doors opened, she went out of it in a quick pace, and finally found Yoosung, his head between his hands and his elbows on his knees. She embraced him without hesitating a second, making Yoosung widen his eyes at the sudden contact, and embrace her back, grabbing her t-shirt for dear life and crying against her. She cried too. She had learnt that Saeyoung had gone on a dangerous mission to find his brother, and the next thing she knew was that Yoosung was having a nervous breakdown at the third floor of a hospital. She feared the worst. Fortunately, Jaehee saw them and approached them.

“Jaehee,” she sobbed. “Tell me Seven is alright, please.”

She nodded and Lizzy felt her body relaxing instantly.

“Thanks God.”

Jaehee told her what had happened, glancing occasionally at Yoosung, who Lizzy embraced throughout the whole story. Of course, she told her the official version, which was that Rika was somehow involved with a religious cult, of which Seven’s twin brother was part too, and that V had died during a fight. Lizzy felt dizzy at the sudden information. So Rika was alive? But absolutely mad? Nothing made sense for her, she was just too nervous, and her heart was still beating like crazy at her first thought of Saeyoung dying. She assimilated as quickly as she could the new information and asked about Jumin.

“He is at the end of this corridor,” Jaehee pointed at it.

“Yoosung, I’m going to talk to Jumin. I’ll be right back.”

Nevertheless, he grabbed Lizzy stronger and begged her to stay. She couldn’t but comply.

 

Zen arrived at the hospital and was informed of the situation. He rushed towards where his friends were and was informed of the situation by Jaehee, being left confused and hurt. He went towards the direction Jaehee pointed when he asked about Jumin.

He was sitting on one of the hospital chairs and had the look of a defeated man. Zen walked towards him, saying nothing, and stood in front of him, who raised his eyes when he saw the actor’s shoes. He stood up and tried to look as if nothing was bothering him, but he could fool no one. Zen hugged him, but broke the embrace quickly when a girl appeared behind him with a glass of water.

“Thank you, Narumi,” Jumin said, taking it.

“It’s okay,” she looked at him, lovingly.

Zen knew Jumin was going to be okay with that girl beside him.

 

“How’s your leg?” Saeyoung asked, realising he had not asked about Mina.

“Oh, I had to get a cast,” Mina replied.

“I’m sorry,” Saeyoung said. “Are you going to be able to be onstage soon?” he smiled.

She shrugged her shoulders.

“It depends of my healing.”

“I hope you recover soon,” he caressed her cheek.

“Me too.”

A doctor entered the room and made Saeyoung a couple of questions about how he was feeling. He greeted Mina and took the chance to ask her about her leg too.

“Did you treat Mina?” Saeyoung asked.

He nodded.

“Take care of her, while she’s in rehab,” the doctor smiled.

Saeyoung looked at her with wide eyes.

“You’ll have to go to rehab?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Is it that bad?” he asked the doctor.

“Well,” the doctor replied. “The only problem is that it took quite some time for her to have it treated since she broke it and she forced herself to walk and stand. We’ll have to work for her not to limp after she gets better, and it would be better for her not to do big moves anyway.”

Saeyoung looked at Mina. She was biting her low lip, looking at the floor.

“No, you don’t understand,” he told the doctor. “She’s a dancer.”

“Well, she may be able to dance again,” he hesitated.

Saeyoung said goodbye to the doctor and he left the room. He looked at Mina, who hadn’t changed her position.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

“You can do nothing about it,” she replied. “And you have more important things to worry about.”

“Mina,” he embraced her. “You are important.” She returned the embrace and started to cry. She felt relieved. She felt as if something in her chest had broken and all the negative emotions that were oppressing her heart were being liberated as Saeyoung rubbed her back. “I’m sure you’ll be able to dance, Mina. I am.”

She dried her tears, looking up at him.

“Thank you,” she said.

“No, thank _you_ ,” he replied. “It must have been hard to take care of everything by your own when I was asleep.”

“It was,” she answered. “But I feel better now.”

They smiled.

“Oh, Vanderwood called me,” she said.

“Did they?” Saeyoung asked, worried. “What did they say?”

“They’ve taken care of the agency thing. You’re free, Saeyoung,” she smiled broadly. “Vanderwood and you, you’re finally free. Of course, you’ll have to be careful for a while, but...”

He cut her with a kiss.

“I will. I have something to protect.”

She blushed.

Saeyoung had a hard time in the hospital. It wasn’t doing Saeran any good to be there and that therapist was just awful. They would have to wait for Saeran to be out of the hospital for Jumin’s therapist to treat him. In the mean time the one of the hospital was working with Saeran, but he was just making him nervous, so Saeyoung decided to disappear with his brother. Yes, he did. He ran away from the hospital with him and got him safe and sound to his house after a big fuss that almost made then be discovered, but everything turned out right.

After three days of confinement imposed on the twins by Saeyoung, Mina decided it was time to get out of character and become nosy.

“Mina, I swear we’ll be able to be together after my brother gets better,” he told her at the main door of his house. “I have to take care of him now.”

“Saeyoung, I’m not talking about us here, I’m talking about you two. You really think it’s doing any good for any of you to be confined in there without breathing some fresh air or seeing any other human being?” she asked. “You don’t even have windows in there, it must be asphyxiating.”

“Three days are nothing for me,” he replied. “I’ve spent weeks locked up in here.”

“Did you ask Saeran? You sound like his guardian or something.”

“Saeran?”

“Yes, Saeyoung, he’s not your pet, he has an opinion, and maybe that boy doesn’t like to spend all day in there.”

Saeyoung hesitated.

“But he’s afraid of people,” he replied.

“For God’s sake, he needs to go out. He’s going to feel imprisoned. Actually, why don’t we ask him?”

Saeran was surprised. For the first time in what felt forever, someone really seem to think he actually had an opinion. It felt... no, it couldn’t feel good. It was a lie. A lie made up to deceive him once again.

“I’m going to talk to him,” he heard that girl say.

“Mina, please, he’s dangerous,” Saeyoung replied.

“Stop saying what’s dangerous.”

“I warned you before and look how you are now,” he said, pointing at her cast. “Everything’s my fault.”

Mina looked at him.

“We’ll talk about that later.”

The stubborn girl entered the house with her crutches, she couldn’t stand staying steel on a wheelchair, and called Saeran. He went out of his room and looked at her, half hidden behind the door of the living room.

“Want to go out?” she asked.

“Not with you, neither with you,” he pointed at his brother.

“Well, you’re not going out alone,” she replied.

Saeran looked at her cast and smiled.

“That happened because of me,” he said.

“Yes, it did,” she replied.

Saeran startled. Saeyoung always told him nothing was his fault, which he knew was a lie. But that girl was not lying. Why?

“You hate me because of that?” he asked.

“I don’t. You were brainwashed.”

“But you look angry,” he replied.

“She’s not angry, Saeran,” Saeyoung intervened.

“No, I am angry,” Mina corrected him. “I’m very angry because I’m a dancer and this is affecting me quite a lot.”

“Then don’t act as if you were worried about me,” Saeran laughed.

“I’m worried about you because Saeyoung loves you,” Mina told the boy, who startled.

“That’s a lie!” he screamed.

Saeyoung looked at him, pain in his gaze, but put himself between Mina and Saeran, fearing he would hurt her.

“I’m not going to talk to you if you behave that way. Come on, Saeyoung, let’s go for a walk both of us.”

“He won’t go,” Saeran replied before Saeyoung could. “He has to take care of me,” he smiled, mischievously.

“Then I’ll go alone,” Mina shrugged, and turned around. “It’s fun enough on my own. I just have to look at the sky and eat my ice cream on a bench.”

Saeyoung had told her about his brother’s habits every time they got to escape their mother’s house. And damn her if she was not going to take advantage of that.

“Ice cream?” the boy asked.

She smiled, facing the twins again.

“Yes, ice cream.”

Saeran stepped in the living room, Saeyoung’s eyes widening in surprise, but soon enough ran to his room.

“I don’t give a fucking damn what you do.”

Saeyoung and Mina smiled. That was a progress.

 

The next day, the ice cream was brought to Saeran. He was sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, since he had just had one of those nervous breakdowns that made him feel exhausted afterwards, so he was somehow calm. He had started to open to Saeyoung somehow, so he had helped him calming down. Mina knocked at the door and entered the house with the bag with the ice cream. She greeted Saeyoung and he helped her inside, taking her on his arms like a princess, which made her blush and protest and the other laugh, eliciting a complaining sound from Saeran.

“Hi, Saeran,” she greeted him, but he didn’t answer.

She sat on the sofa next to him and opened the ice cream tub. Saeyoung brought three spoons and left them on the table in front of them, so Mina took one and dug it in the ice cream, taking out a spoonful of the delicious treat.

“Can’t I be quiet here without you coming and ruining everything?” he said.

“Rude. I’m not giving you ice cream if you behave that way.”

He hit her hand, making her spill the ice cream all over her shirt.

“You can die.”

That was the first time that Saeyoung got angry with Saeran since he was released, and actually Mina had to calm him down.

 

Progress was difficult to notice, but the couple knew it was there. They decided not to act lovingly in front of Saeran, and not to get near him without warning, discovering little by little what helped and worked with him. They got him out once, and it went honesty bad, but at least they had got him out.

Saeyoung spent with Mina the whole morning before she took off the cast. He was called by Rachel, who told him she was having a nervous breakdown and wouldn’t let her into the toilet. Mina’s breakdowns were like that. She locked herself in the toilet, embracing her knees and crying a little from time to time. Fortunately, Saeyoung went to her home and got her to open the door. She became calmer after Saeyoung’s comforting her, and they went to the doctor’s, who gave them positive news about her healing.

Saeyoung started to trust Saeran more from that day onwards, since he had had to stay alone and nothing bad had happened, and left the house an hour weekly, which he spent visiting Mina during rehab. The other members of the RFA got to meet Saeran for a couple of minutes and visit Saeyoung, which they appreciated, since they were just too worried.

 

Mina was at their house when Saeyoung took the chance to visit Vanderwood to take care of some business related to the agency for which they used to work, and Saeran was left alone with her. He was in his room and she was watching the telly on the sofa, ignoring him. He had one of those days in which he would hate everyone and even punch Saeyoung if he wasn’t careful, which made Mina really angry.

“Mina,” he heard from the living room door.

“What?” she replied, as dry and cold as she could.

“You angry,” he tended to use fewer words on those days as was possible.

“Of course I am, you hit Saeyoung,” she replied.

“Your leg.”

“Yes, I’m still angry about that too.”

“Sorry,” Saeran whispered.

Mina widened her eyes in surprise and looked at him.

“Are you sorry about my leg?” he nodded. “And about hitting Saeyoung?” he nodded once again. Mina looked at him for some time. “I forgive you, Saeran. Thank you for apologising.”

Saeran sat on the floor and started to cry, leaving Mina clueless about what to do. She approached him carefully and put a hand on his shoulder, but he hit it with his hand and ran away to his room, leaving a puzzled Mina behind.

When she told Saeyoung, he started to cry as well, and Mina put her hand on his shoulder, fearing she would get the same reaction, but Saeyoung just embraced her.

“Thank you.”

For the first time in what seemed ages, Saeyoung kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes and melted in the kiss, embracing Saeyoung with her arms. He broke the kiss, gasping for breath, and put his forehead on hers.

“You’re awesome, pricklepoe,” he smiled.

“I’m doing nothing,” she replied, somehow dizzy.

He kissed her again, making her moan, and lifted her.

“Bedroom,” he whispered, making her shiver in anticipation.

He threw her on the bed, closing the door behind them, and approached her, already playing with the button of his trousers.

“I’m sorry I made you wait for so long,” he said with a dark tone.

But Mina wouldn’t yield to him. He lied on the bed next to her to kiss her, and soon enough she was on top of him, making him moan and taking off his clothes. He sat up on the bed, helping her get rid of hers, and making sure to caress her body in the process. They made love as quietly as possible, finally feeling their fully bodies intertwined. They had nothing to worry about. They lied on the bed, looking into each other’s eyes, and when Saeyoung smiled, Mina could have sworn that that was the most beautiful smile she had ever seen.

“I love you,” Saeyoung said.

“I love you too,” she replied.

Saeyoung’s smile grew bigger and though she didn’t realise, she was smiling too.

“I bet tomorrow’s going to be a great day,” he said.

Mina was sure about it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the next chapter!
> 
> Also, I wanted to announce that I have created a Patreon account! As much as I would like to give you free access to all my stories in Internet, I’m afraid I can’t afford it, so I’ve decided to create this account for some of my content. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop uploading free stories on AO3 and Tumblr!
> 
> I plan to continue with my current stories and write more. In Patreon, though, you’ll be able to find one-shots (some of them related to my fics), shorter stories, make requests and also read some of my original writing, so why don’t you drop by and take a look? ;3
> 
> Here I leave you the link to my Patreon, where you can already find a first post: https://www.patreon.com/alicecarroll
> 
> Thank you so much for your support! <3

Things were working out quite fast. The small progresses they got with Saeran led to bigger ones, and as time went by it was easier for them to read through him and for him to trust them. He even started to befriend Yoosung and Lizzy, who came there for time to time to play videogames, though Lizzy always stepped aside with her computer and did some of the work for the C&R.

As things were going quite good, they decided to host a RFA meeting to talk about resuming their parties. All the RFA members, together with Lizzy, Mina and Saeran, went to Jumin’s house to discuss this. Needless to say, the twins and Mina were quite nervous, especially Saeran. Nevertheless, Jumin had insisted that Saeran should come so that they could welcome him to the RFA properly.

“I never said I wanted to take part of your silly association,” Saeran crossed his arms on his chest, frowning.

“You didn’t say you didn’t want to either,” Saeyoung smiled.

They got to Jumin’s and Saeran got to conceal his nervousness, not like Saeyoung and Mina, of course. They couldn’t stop glancing at him and Saeyoung even dropped his Dc Pepper trying to take it (more than once). Mina followed Jumin around, apologising, which only got to make him nervous as well.

They finally got them to sit down, and they somehow started to grow calmer. Jumin cleared his throat when everyone settled and started talking.

“First of all I wanted to say that V put me in charge of the association, and I wanted to know if everybody agreed.” Of course, all of them did, even Zen acknowledged he was most appropriate person to take the role of the leader of the RFA. “To continue, I wanted to announce that I have been talking to Saeyoung and we agreed that Elizabeth would be perfect to fill Rika and MC’s role in the association. What do you think, Elizabeth?”

Lizzy startled. She? Did they think she was fit for the charge? She blushed, feeling flattered. She looked at Yoosung, as if seeking for his opinion, and saw his eyes sparkle.

“I think Lizzy would be perfect!” he exclaimed, and her cheeks became even redder.

“Of course, I agree if everyone else does,” she shyly muttered.

All of them laughed and congratulated her, making her feel even more flustered.

“I also want to welcome Saeran and Mina to the RFA,” Jumin announced. “And I would like to discuss the date for the next party.”

They started to talk about possible dates and finally settled it, so they just started to chat about trivial matter. Saeran glanced at Zen and Mina.

“So you were dancing with me at that show!” Zen dramatically exclaimed. “I knew I had seen you somewhere else.”

She chuckled.

“I’m sorry I lied,” she replied.

“It’s okay, princess, just don’t do it again,” he winked.

Saeran looked at his brother. He didn’t seem to be liking Zen’s clear flirting it, neither seemed Mina, or at least so he thought. He stood up and walked next to Mina, grabbing her shirt.

“Saeyoung calls you,” he said.

She startled.

“Does he?”

Saeran nodded. She went to him, glancing suspiciously at Saeran.

“Hi, Saeran,” Zen greeted him, casually.

“Stop flirting with Mina.”

Zen startled.

“I wasn’t flirting with her.”

“You were.”

“Come on, Saeran,” Zen smiled, trying to assure him. “I told you I wasn’t. I’m sorry if you thought so. You don’t have to be upset.”

“Of course, I do, she’s my sister!” he exclaimed.

Saeyoung gasped, making Saeran turn. The couple had approached them, fearing Saeran was upset about something, and had heard that part of the conversation. Mina was blushing lightly, surprised, but her expression softened into a smile. Saeran was blushing like crazy.

“You’re all stupid,” he whispered, going away.

“He’s never called me brother yet,” Saeyoung cried, jealous. “It’s not fair, you’re not even his sister by blood!”

Zen sighed.

“Mina, did you think I was flirting with you?” Zen asked.

“If I didn’t know you already I would have thought so,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“What?! Why?” he started to follow her trying to show her how much non-flirting he was, though he couldn’t help calling her ‘princess,’ ‘baby,’ and all kinds of nicknames in the process.

Saeyoung tried not to make a big fuss on their way home, but he just had to ask Saeran to call him brother too.

“Why do you seem to love Mina more?” he complained.

“Saeyoung, don’t be unfair with Saeran,” Mina said. “He trusts you more.”

“Of course he does, I’m his twin brother!!”

Saeran was sick and tired of the two of them already, and the day had been too fatiguing and long to have to stand them.

“Shut the fuck up!” he exclaimed, taking his hands to his ears. “If I act like this is because Mina won’t make a big fuss every time I say something good to her. Now, shut up.”

The poor boy seemed about to have a crisis, so they let him be, Saeyoung still feeling neglected. Mina tried to convince him when they arrived home, and Saeran locked himself up in his peaceful room, that he was overreacting, but he wouldn’t give in and even got upset with Mina.

“Do you really think I make such a big fuss?” he asked.

“I do.”

Mina went home to sleep that day after the argue.

 

Saeyoung woke up and called her right away the next morning.

“I’m so sorry,” he said when she picked up.

“I guess it’s okay.”

“Can I go over?” he asked. “I really want to compensate.”

She hummed a positive answer, but Saeyoung was nervous. He thought, from her lack of reaction, that she was mad at him (though she was just still asleep).

“Saeran,” he called his brother. “Help me.”

He opened the door.

“For fuck’s sake, Saeyoung, it’s eight in the morning.”

“Mina is mad at me.”

“I could understand that,” he answered. “You’re tiresome.”

Saeyoung gave him a hurt look, but locked himself in the computer room and said nothing. When Saeran saw he had spent two hours there, he decided to do the unthinkable. He asked Mina for help.

“I think Saeyoung is sad for something I said,” Saeran started.

“What was it, Saeran?” Mina asked.

“I told him he was tiresome and that’s why I could understand that you were ad at him.”

“I’m not mad at him,” Mina replied.

“He thinks so.”

“Why?”

“Dunno.”

Mina sighed.

“Anyway, apologise to your brother. I’ll go there myself.”

“Wait, I can’t apologise.”

“Why not?”

“Because if I do he’d think I love him or something.”

“Well, that’s the point.”

“I don’t want that,” Saeran answered.

“If you didn’t love him, you wouldn’t be worried about him being upset,” Mina replied and Saeran startled.

“Shut up, you bitch.”

He hung up. Mina sighed, and got ready to go to Saeyoung’s.

 

“Saeyoung,” Saeran knocked on his door.

He opened it and popped out his head.

“What’s up?” he asked.

Saeran looked at the floor and stood silent.

“Nothing,” he said, and went away, leaving a puzzled Saeyoung behind.

He had seen it. Saeyoung had again that sad smile, and it was his fault. Maybe he wouldn’t forgive him anyway, not that he deserved it. He wasn’t even sure if Saeyoung was lying to him anyway when he acted as he cared. He didn’t seem to, but still...

Mina arrived to the twin’s home to find a depressive Saeran opening the door to meet a depressive Saeyoung. Yey! She decided to start with the one she knew better.

“Saeyoung, it’s me,” Mina said. “Op...”

She couldn’t finish the sentence when Saeyoung opened, blushing.

“What are you doing here? I was supposed to go to your place.”

“I was worried,” she replied, making Saeyoung’s blush darken.

“I thought you were mad at me.”

“Why?”

“Because,” he hesitated, his gaze tainted in pain. “Because I was a jerk yesterday. And I’m such a pain. I can understand why Saeran is sick of me, and I don’t know why you wouldn’t be.”

She caressed his cheek.

“Let me come in and we’ll talk about this.”

He nodded, and opened the door for her.

“Take this,” he asked.

She took it. It was a cute white robot-cat.

“Why this?” she smiled at the nice present.

“To apologise.”

“You didn’t have to,” she said, fondly. “Though I’ll keep it now that you’ve given it to me,” she winked, making Saeyoung smile. She kissed him. “Saeyoung, you’re not a pain. You’re sweet and caring, and even thought you’re a bit too much enthusiastic, you bring so much happiness with your reactions. Just control them a bit more until Saeran know how to handle them,” he nodded blushing. “Besides, I love you the way you are,” she hugged him, “and I’m sure Saeran does too.”

“Saeran doesn’t love me,” he sighed. “I don’t deserve his love anyway.”

“Don’t say that. He loves you and you deserve all his love. He is just scared of showing it.”

They went out of the chamber to talk to Saeran but found him at the door of the room, leaving a bag of HBC and Dc Pepper next to it. Saeyoung remembered the time Mina did the same thing because she was worried about him and his eyes became watery.

“Saeran!” he was going to embrace him until he remembered what Mina told him about controlling his emotions.

“What?” Saeran asked, suspicious.

“Thank you,” Saeyoung smiled, giving small jumps, trying to repress the need of hugging him.

“What’s with that lack of reaction? Are you my brother or not? You’re creepy,” Saeran said.

Mina chuckled and Saeyoung embraced him, trying not to jump too much and repressing a yell of happiness. Saeran would never acknowledge it, but he loved his brother’s hugs. Almost as much as he loved his brother.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a new chapter! I feel this one is a bit shorter than usual, but the truth is I'm quite happy with the result. I hope you like it too <3
> 
> Thank you for reading and your support <3

“Shut the fuck up!” Saeran threw a glass to the floor near his brother. He didn’t mean to hurt him. He didn’t want to hurt him. Then, why was he doing this?

Oh, right, that night he had had another nightmare. He was tied to the bed and calling his brother, asking him to save him, but he wouldn’t come. He wouldn’t come.

“Saeran, it’s okay now,” that girl said.

That girl never lied, why was she lying now? It wasn’t okay. He wasn’t okay.

“Shut up you too!” he threw a dish to the floor.

The dish was breaking in a thousand sharp points and he was barefoot. He stepped on them, hurting his feet, but didn’t mind about the pain or the blood. He enjoyed the pain.

“Saeran, you’re bleeding,” his brother said.

Saeran advanced towards Saeyoung and pushed him, rushing to his bedroom, where he closed the door. He felt sick. Why was he doing this? His brother had come to rescue him from Magenta, right? Why? Maybe he wasn’t lying. No, he had to be. He was alone, he would always be alone.

Saeran wasn’t sure about how many hours passed when that girl knocked on his door and entered. She said nothing and sat on the edge of his bed, looking at him. He knew she wanted to take care of his feet. The blood was dry on them, and she cleaned it and patiently took out the pieces of glass that sunk in them, being as careful as she could. She then proceeded to disinfect them. It hurt quite a lot, but he didn’t complain.

“Good boy,” Mina said when she finished.

“That’s a lie.”

“You didn’t complain, that’s being a good boy.”

“I broke things and shouted to you later.”

She looked at him, expectant, and Saeran knew what she was waiting for. He wanted to say it so that she would call him a good boy again, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to acknowledge that he cared.

“Can I go for a walk? Alone,” he asked.

Mina looked at him, thoughtful. She sighed.

“I’ll talk to Saeyoung.”

“My brother,” Saeran whispered without realising.

Mina smiled. Saeran knew Mina’s smiles were always genuine.

Apparently, she convinced him to let Saeran go out on his own. He only put the condition of him taking his phone so that he could track him and call him if there was any problem. Saeran accepted.

It was the smell that attracted him. He had been wandering around a few places he knew until he found himself in a street he had never been to before. He liked that street. It was peaceful, quiet and the houses where small and old. It looked abandoned except for the few people he encountered from time to time and the clothes hanging on a few balconies. And the smell.

He got into the shop. It was a smell of freshly baked bread, and it made him feel calm, he didn’t even know why. He wandered around the small shelves that displayed the varieties of bread, biscuits and other sweets they had. He took a plastic bag and got some cookies, thanking the fates that made him take some money before leaving, which he usually never did, and went to the counter. He put the bag on it, staring at the biscuits since he was still afraid of looking at other people and talking to them. Maybe it had not been a great idea to enter the bakery anyway.

“Hi,” a feminine voice behind the counter greeted him.

He didn’t answer. He saw a beautiful hand taking the bag and he looked up at her, making her startle. She wasn’t expecting the beautiful pair of green eyes that she found looking. They stared at each other for a moment and the girl blushed.

“Do you want me to put a ribbon on the bag?” she asked, and Saeran nodded.

She turned to take it and Saeran could feel how she was looking at him through a mirror she had in front of her despite having his eyes glued to the counter in front of him. She took her time to do it and finally turned around and left the biscuits on the spot he was staring at. The package had a beautiful red ribbon tying it up.

“Do you want anything else?”

He didn’t, but he did not want to go either, so he pointed at a chocolate donut that was behind the glass of the counter. She took it and put it in a paper bag.

“It’s 3’90 pounds.”

He gave her five and she returned his part. They looked at each other and suddenly Saeran found himself talking aloud, blushing like crazy.

“Your name?” he asked.

She smiled.

“Anna.”

He felt the need to write it down not to forget it.

“Saeran,” he replied.

“Nice to meet you, Saeran,” she smiled again.

He left.

 

Saeyoung was sitting on the sofa, covering his eyes behind his arm. Mina had left to go to rehab. She didn’t want to leave him alone, he knew, but rehab was important. He would have liked to go with her too, but had to keep an eye on his brother’s walk. Nevertheless, he felt tired and depressed. He had the feeling he was doing everything wrong with his brother. The task was so difficult, but Mina seemed to be working her way through Saeran’s walls, and every time he thought he was progressing with him, he felt he took a step back. Maybe he’ll never get to his brother. Maybe he’ll always feel like a stranger to Saeran.

He heard the door opening and found Saeran entering the living room with something on his hands. He smiled at him. It was the first time Saeran had got something to himself, which also implied human interaction, and that made him feel proud of his brother.

“What did you buy?” he asked.

Saeran looked at him.

“Look at your computer,” he replied.

Saeyoung complied, feeling hurt. He was always so cold and distant. Suddenly, he felt some weight on the sofa next to him and Saeran’s head on his lap. He was going to look down at his brother, surprised, when he spoke up.

“Don’t look, stupid brother,” Saeran said.

Saeyoung complied, blushing, trying to control his emotions. He saw his brother’s hand putting something on the table in front of them.

“Biscuits,” Saeran said.

“For me?” Saeyoung asked.

“Yah.” Saeran felt Saeyoung trembling and looked up. “For fuck’s sake Saeyoung!” he exclaimed when he saw his brother crying and sat up on the couch.

Saeyoung embraced him, and he managed to return it, blushing. Mina entered the living room and found them thus. They had not noticed her, so she walked back to the hall, waiting for them to finish not to interrupt the moment. After a while, Saeyoung found her there, and she startled. He lifted her like a princess and walked in the living room with her.

“Look, Saeran!” he laughed. “I found a pricklepoe hiding from us at the entrance!!”

Saeran grinned mischievously.

“So stupid.”

“What should we do with her?”

Mina looked at them, in a mixture of amusement, embarrassment, and suspicion.

“We should cook her with cayenne.”

“Yes, we should!!” Saeyoung exclaimed.

“Noooo!!” Mina exclaimed, half terrified, half laughing.

“But we have to tickle her before so that she doesn’t eat our nails.”

“Oh, no,” Mina escaped from Saeyoung’s grab and tried to run away, but Saeran put himself between the living room and the door to the corridor and Saeyoung was already tickling her. Mina fell on the floor, laughing, and Saeyoung on top of her. Saeran looked at both of them, amused, and wanted to join them in secret, but he was somehow afraid of the game.

“My leg! My leg!” Mina exclaimed. Both brothers looked at her, worried, and she smiled. “You fell for it,” she said, and started to tickle Saeyoung.

Finally, Saeyoung surrendered, and both of them lied on the floor, panting and laughing lightly. Mina looked at Saeran, who was still next to the door, looking at them, insecure. She sat on the floor and patted the space between Saeyoung and herself, and Saeran reluctantly walked there. He sat between them and Mina reclined on the floor again, taking one of Saeran’s hands. Saeyoung smiled at him and put his head on his lap. Saeran felt somehow overwhelmed, but said nothing. He was a little afraid that if he did, they would move away from him and start preparing dinner or something. Maybe he didn’t want them that close, but he didn’t want them so far away from him either. At that moment, he preferred having them near him. It felt like family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check more content in my Tumblr!: https://makachan88.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you for reading <3


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the waaaait! I've been busy lately T^T Fortunately, Spring breaks comes soon and I'll have more time for uploading!
> 
> There's a lot of Yoosung x Lizzy at the beginning, but things go back to Mina and the twins :3
> 
> I really hope you like it~
> 
> If you enjoy my writing, why don’t you consider supporting me on Patreon? ;3 https://www.patreon.com/alicecarroll 
> 
> Thank you for reading and your support! <3

Yoosung was having a hard time. He had sent Rika away some months ago, and he felt guilty. He also felt guilty about Lizzy.

He had spent almost a month locked in his apartment by then, playing videogames and totally absent to the outer world. Jumin and Jaehee had finally told them the whole truth. Saeyoung and his brother hadn’t been there, it was not good to talk about it in front of them, but of course they had consented to their telling them. Lizzy had held his hand all the time, but when they finished, he had just gone home without saying anything. He had received calls from his friends and Lizzy, but hadn’t answered. Lizzy had even gone there and left some food outside his front door after ringing the bell a couple of times and finding no answer, fearing Yoosung was not eating well. He had only talked to Saeyoung and Saeran, not wanting them to believe he was angry at them. He was not angry. He was tired.

And now he felt guilty. He didn’t know if Lizzy and he were together anymore. He didn’t want to talk to her, fearing she would be mad at him for being missing all this time, and as time went by, he felt more embarrassed. He couldn’t see the end of it. Lizzy... she had helped him so much before sending Rika away and had tried to afterwards. He missed her. He still loved her.

He wanted to do something, but was scared of her reaction, so he decided to ask for advice from a guy he had met recently in LOLOL. He was kind of clumsy, but fun to play with.

**Superman Yoosung**

Hey, Thorn, can you talk?

**Thorn**

Sure.

**Superman Yoosung**

Ok, here we go

I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this

But I have a girlfriend.

**Thorn**

You haven’t.

**Superman Yoosung**

Well, I don’t know if I can consider her my girlfriend anymore

Yoosung bit his lower lip, waiting for an answer. He seemed to be taking some time to write.

**Thorn**

Why?

**Superman Yoosung**

Things happened and...

We haven’t talked for a month

I still love her, but I don’t know what to do

I thought about going to her home today

But

I don’t know what she will say

I’m scared she’ll reject me

**Thorn**

You cannot know unless you try.

Yoosung startled.

**Superman Yoosung**

That’s right!

I’m going to see her right now

Thank you

**Thorn**

You’re welcome.

Yoosung took a shower as fast as he could and left his apartment, hoping Lizzy would be home. She had started lo live alone since she began her work in Jumin’s company, but sometimes she went out to her parent’s or was at the company, so he was scared he wouldn’t find it there. He was also scared of meeting her, though.

After a tiring bus ride, he finally arrived to her apartment and took a deep breath before knocking on the front door, which opened instantly, a cushion hitting his head when it did.

“You stupid!” he heard Lizzy shouting.

He stepped in carefully and saw her standing behind the door, her eyes watery, with another cushion in his hand.

“You silly,” she threw it at him. He tried to cover his face, but it hit him anyway. “Selfish,” she threw another. “Thoughtless,” she picked one of the ones she had threw already and hit him lightly. “I hate you,” she cried, embracing him.

Yoosung was puzzled. She said she hated him but embraced him? What should he do? They had not talked for a month, so Yoosung just couldn’t help but embracing her back, hiding his face in her neck, trying to tighten the hug as much as he could.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I love you. I’m so sorry.”

She broke the embrace and looked at him. He was thinner and pale, and looked as if he hadn’t slept in forever.

“First of all, call you poor mother,” she said, closing the door which they had left open.

“I forgot my phone,” Yoosung said.

“Take mine,” she replied, giving it to him and he took it, hesitant. “We would have thought you were dead if it weren’t for Thorn!” she cried again.

“Thorn?” he asked her, embracing her.

“I was Thorn, stupid!” she hit him.

His mother picked up the phone. They started to talk and Lizzy made some food for him, making his stomach growl in complain. God, he hadn’t even realised he was this hungry. He could feel Lizzy’s look on him while he talked, and it felt so good to have her next to him after all this time. She had to care about him if she was doing all that, right?

She put the plate with food in front of him and he started to eat it, eagerly. His mother finally hung up and when Yoosung looked up at Lizzy, she was crying again. He was going to embrace her when she stopped him.

“Don’t touch me,” she said.

“S-sorry,” he replied, on the verge of tears, and continued eating his food.

“What you did was wrong,” Lizzy said.

“I’m sorry,” Yoosung sobbed.

“I know you’re hurt, but you can’t be so selfish.”

“I know, I’m so sorry.”

“Promise me you won’t do that again.”

“I won’t,” Yoosung looked up at her, his sobs making him have to stop eating. “I won’t. I’m sorry. I don’t want to lose you.”

She finally embraced him and Yoosung hugged her back. They kissed, needy of each other, and Lizzy started to caress his back and his hair.

“I’ve missed you,” Yoosung said, breaking the kiss and looking at her eyes. “I was so afraid to start talking to you again that it took me quite a long time to do it, but I’ve missed you so much,” she kissed him. “I love you.”

“I love you too, stupid boy.”

They moved to the bedroom where they started to undress each other. They took their time to caress and memorise the other’s body under their fingers, so much had they missed the contact, and became a moaning and panting mess, aching for more in desperation. Yoosung thrust into her, taking her hand with his, the other in her hip, as she sat on his lap, arching her back in delight and moaning loudly, her free hand intertwined with his hair. Their moves were fast and needy and soon they reached their limit, letting themselves fall on the bed afterwards. Yoosung leaned his head on Lizzy’s chest and he embraced him, caressing his head, still panting. He embraced her tightly.

“My life is a mess right now,” he sighed.

“It’s okay, Yoosung. Just let me help you through this.”

He looked up at her and saw her hurt look.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I’m happy you’re here,” she smiled and kissed his forehead.

“Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

 

_It’s amazing how much you’ve recovered._ The words the doctor had said echoed in Mina’s head as she laid carelessly on Saeyoung’s lap, eating one of the biscuits Saeran had bought the other day. _You don’t need to come anymore unless it hurts again. Congratulations, dancer_ , the doctor had smiled. Saeyoung caressed her hair and she shifted softly to kiss his arm.

“We have a happy pricklepoe here?” he mockingly said. She smiled and said nothing, her heart racing as she played with her hair, blushing. “I’m still offended,” Saeyoung chuckled. Mina looked at him, expectant. “The doctor said you can dance again and you haven’t danced in our fire-fighters pole yet,” he smirked, making Mina blush. “And my brother goes out a lot lately,” he pointed out. “So there’s no excuse.”

That was true. He was always somewhere and came back home with cookies, or donuts, or bread.

“I’ll dance tomorrow,” she said. “I have to rehearse anyway if I want to go back onstage next week.”

She had been afraid that Saeyoung changed his mind about her profession when they started dating, but even if he didn’t quite like other men looking at her with lust, he just knew he couldn’t make Mina renounce to her passion. Besides, only he got to touch her body, which somehow made him feel kind of proud. He still didn’t know why would she choose him between all the fans she should have, but as long as she loved him he was not going to think about it. Just some nights when he couldn’t sleep, but however.

“Dance now,” he playfully asked.

She chuckled

“No, I’m really comfortable now and don’t want to move.”

“Oh, so is my lap that comfortable, my ladypoe?”

“It is,” she said, eating another biscuit.

“Then, never move from it.”

She blushed.

“I thought you wanted me to dance.”

Saeyoung faked hesitation.

“I’ve changed my mind. Now I want you to stay always here, eating biscuits and get so fat you cannot move so that I can always have you here,” he said.

She chuckled and put a biscuit in his mouth.

“You silly boy.”

They stood in silence for a while as Saeyoung fidgeted with his phone, looking at memes and checking the RFA chatroom, relieved to find Yoosung again participating of the conversation. Mina looked up at him, feeling nervous again and blushed.

“What’s up, pricklepoe?” he asked her, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

“Saeyoung, would you marry me?”

He froze and looked down at Mina, who was blushing deeply.

“Whut?”

She took out of her pocket two matching rings, one with a planet, the other with a rocket.

“I got these at the games arcade when I went with Rachel the other day and I remembered that you always said you wanted to get married at a space station. So, well, I thought it may be a good idea to get married,” she was starting to stammer and her hands were trembling. “These rings are provisional, of course, I’ll get new ones. Just if you want to marry me and...”

He cut her with a kiss.

“Yes, I’ll marry you,” he said, smiling.

“What?”

“I’ll marry you!” he repeated, standing up and making her sit on the sofa.

He lifted her and span her round the room, making her laugh.

“Really?” she asked once he finally stopped, smiling widely.

“Of course, pricklepoe,” he kissed her nose.

She hugged him, chuckling, and kissed his neck.

“Only we have to ask Saeran, of course,” he paused for a moment, worried.

“He knows.”

“Does he?”

Mina chuckled.

“He found out the night before the last time I went to the doctor,” she smiled, and started to tell him.

Mina couldn’t sleep because she was nervous. During the night, fears of not being able to dance again usually haunted her, and she just couldn’t bring herself to get some sleep. Normally, Saeyoung was up too, and would comfort her, but that was one of the few times he had got to sleep, so she somehow got rid of the octopus-like embrace of her boyfriend and went out of the room to get some water, not wanting to wake him up but looking for some distraction. There she found Saeran, scared, who had woken up from a nightmare. He was embracing his knees on the floor, next to the kitchen door. She knew she had to speak softly before approaching him, and so she did.

“Saeran, I’m Mina,” she said, making him startle, though he calmed down when he recognised her. “Are you alright?”

He nodded and she sat next to him, their shoulders touching. He was trembling lightly, but seemed to relax at Mina’s touch, so she took his hand. They stood like that for a while until Saeran spoke up.

“Water,” he said, and Mina took a glass for him and herself as Saeran grabbed her pyjama’s shirt, unwilling to lose the physical contact. “You can’t sleep either?” he asked.

“I’m nervous about my leg,” she replied. Saeran nodded. She knew he felt guilty. “I think I’ll be alright, but I cannot help worrying.”

Saeran nodded once again, calmer. They sat on the floor again as before, and Saeran spoke up.

“I heard you talking to your friend about marrying my brother,” he said.

She startled.

“We won’t if you don’t want to,” she replied.

Saeran looked at her and down at the floor again.

“Am I disturbing you two?” he asked.

She looked at him, puzzled.

“Why?”

“Because you two want to live on your own but I’m here.”

“We don’t want to live without you, Saeran,” she said. He shook his head. “Saeran, we love you. Your brother loves you a lot, you cannot imagine how much, and I love you too.”

“Why?”

“Because even though you don’t show it, you’re sweet and caring, and you deserve to be loved.”

“But I’ve hurt people, I’ve ki-”

“You were not yourself,” she squeezed his hand, reassuringly.

“I still hurt you and my brother when I shout and throw things and...”

“The good moments compensate, Saeran,” she embraced his waist as he covered her face with his hands.

“I don’t understand, I’m a monster.”

“You’re not a monster.”

They stood like that for a while until Saeran calmed down.

 

“What did he say, then, about our engagement?” Saeyoung asked.

Mina chuckled.

“It would be cool if you married Saeyoung,” she repeated his words.

Saeyoung laughed.

“It is cool!!” he said spinning her again. “I’m going to marry the best woman in the world!!”

At that moment, they heard the door opening and Saeran entered the room with donuts.

“Saeran! You’re going to be the best man!” he announced him.

“What?”

“I’m marrying a pricklepoe!!”

Mina laughed and Saeran looked at them, smiling a little. His chest hurt a bit, feeling he was a third wheel there, but soon enough Saeyoung and Mina were following him around, talking about the wedding, the latter more calmly than the former, and Saeran felt good. A bit annoyed, but good.

“By the way, Saeran, who’s your _friend_ at the bakery?” Saeyoung asked, playfully, and Mina hit his arm.

Saeran startled.

“What friend?”

“The one who sells those delicious biscuits,” he grinned.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Saeran blushed.

“Saeyoung, leave him alone,” Mina scolded him.

“Do you think we’re silly?” Saeyoung asked, pretending to be hurt.

“I know you’re stupid,” Saeran replied.

“Guys, stop!” Mina exclaimed.

Saeran locked himself in his room, and Saeyoung laughed.

“He likes someone!!” he exclaimed.

“Yes, he does. Now, don’t insist on it or he will stop going.”

“Boooooh!” Saeyoung complained, and Mina laughed.

But he was smiling too. It was difficult not to do it when everything was almost perfect.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three chapters left!
> 
> I really hope you're enjoying this fic as much as I am!
> 
> Thank you for reading and your support <3

“Mina.”

“Yes, Saeran?”

“You’re a girl.”

Mina looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Thank you for the enlightenment.”

Saeran frowned.

“I’m serious now.”

“What is it, Saeran?” she asked.

They were alone at the kitchen since Saeyoung was playing some games with Yoosung at the computer room. Mina was having a tea and listening to some low music, chilling out with Saeran, who was sitting in front of her.

“I usually go to a bakery,” he started, making Mina hold back a smile. “Wait, first promise you’ll tell nothing to Saeyoung.”

“Promised,” she replied.

“Okay,” he continued, sighing and passing a hand through his hair, nervous. “If you betray me I’ll never talk to you again,” he warned her and she nodded. “Good. The thing is, a girl works in that bakery, and she’s kind of...” Mina nodded to encourage him to go on. “Kind of not-so-annoying.”

“I see,” she said, casually, trying not to chuckle.

“I feel weird around her.”

“What kind of weird?” he encouraged him.

“It’s complicated. It’s like I want to go there and see her, but at the same time I don’t because she makes me feel too good. When I see her, I feel happy. I feel happy when she smiles and when she talks to me, and I don’t like it when she smiles to other people.”

“And what more?” she asked, trying to remain indifferent.

“I would also like to spend more time with her and my chest aches when I leave.”

She smiled.

“I understand.”

“Do you?” Saeran’s eyes sparkled and she nodded. “Then what is it?”

“I think you like her,” she simply answered and Saeran turned pale.

“Is this similar to what you feel for Saeyoung?” he asked, and she nodded. “Oh, no,” he whispered, standing up from his chair and trying to run away, but Mina took his hand before he could.

She made him sit on the chair again and gave him some strawberry ice-cream they had in the freezer for those moments when Saeran was suffering or about to suffer a panic attack. She sat next to him and caressed his hair in a soothing manner as he stared at the ice-cream, breaking into soft, low sobs.

“What is the matter, Saeran?” she asked him.

“It’s scary.”

“Why?”

He looked at her as if she were mad.

“Because I’m troubled and sick and hateful!” he exclaimed, throwing his ice-cream off the table.

Mina took his hands and embraced him.

“Shhh,” she whispered. “Saeyoung is going to hear us.”

He nodded, returning the embrace. He stopped trembling and pushed Mina away.

“Ice-cream,” he asked, and she gave him some more.

She looked at him while he ate it, the mark of his tears drying on his cheeks.

“You’re not hateful, Saeran,” she caressed his hair again. He didn’t look up at her. “It’s true that you are complicated, but it’s not your fault. Besides, you don’t know her that much yet, and she doesn’t know you either. If you get to like each other more seriously, you can tell her about your problems. If she doesn’t understand, she’s not the girl you deserve. If she does, she is.”

“I don’t deserve anyone.”

“Don’t say that, Saeran.”

“Besides, who would want to be beside me?” he asked.

“Your brother and I do. Yoosung and Lizzy, they’re your friends too, right? And the rest of the RFA, even though you don’t have a relationship as deep with them as with us, they accept you too.”

He shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

“You do.”

He kept eating, in silence.

“What should I do?”

“Why don’t you ask her on a date?” she suggested.

He looked at her.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“It’s scary.”

“I know it’s scary, Saeran.”

“No, you don’t, you’re never afraid. You’re strong.”

“I’m scared too,” he looked up at her in disbelief. “When I proposed and now, I’m scared to death. But life has to go on, right?”

“What are you afraid of?”

“Of things not working out the way we planned,” she replied. “Of Saeyoung not loving me anymore, or changing his mind about marrying me. We’re all afraid of something.”

“I don’t want you to leave,” Saeran said, worried.

She took his hand, smiling.

“I’m not planning to,” she said. “And even if I have to, we’ll still be in touch, Saeran.”

He nodded, unconvinced, and ate his ice-cream.

“What if she doesn’t want to go on a date with me?”

“That you won’t go on a date,” she shrugged her shoulders.

“You make it look simple,” he frowned.

“It is simple.”

“What if she wants to and she finds out about me and leaves me?”

“You’ll stop seeing her and cry for a while, and we’ll buy you lots of ice-cream.”

“It’s not so simple!” he hit the table.

“It is,” Mina comforted him, rubbing his back. “You’ll be quite sad, but at least you would have tried.”

He looked at her, worried.

“Maybe it is safer not trying.”

“It is safer, but unsatisfying.”

“What are you talking about?” Saeyoung entered the kitchen.

Saeran blushed and turned to him.

“You weren’t supposed to be listening!”

Saeyoung widened his eyes, worried when he saw his brother had been crying and was pushing him out.

“I haven’t heard anything,” he replied. “Are you okay?”

Saeran was about to answer when Mina interrupted him.

“I’m sure you can tell your brother, Saeran,” she smiled. “Saeyoung, you’re not going to tease him, right?”

“What? No! What’s going on?” he asked confused.

Saeran blushed, looking at Mina and told his brother what happened. Saeyoung behaved really well, taking Mina’s hand tightly to contain himself, but smiling broadly at his brother’s openness and improvement.

“Why is he smiling?” he asked Mina, and she couldn’t help but chuckling.

“It’s because it’s so good that you like someone!” Saeyoung exclaimed.

“It is not!” he exclaimed, grabbing his hair in his hands. “It is scary.”

“It’s good that you’re starting opening up to other people,” Saeyoung clarified, rubbing his brother’s back. “You’re going to be alright.”

“Do you have her number?” Mina asked.

Saeran nodded.

“She asked me to exchange numbers the other day,” he replied.

Mina and Saeyoung looked at each other significantly.

“Ask her out, then,” Saeyoung encouraged him.

Saeran looked at both of them, unsure.

“I’ll try.”

“What does she look like?” Mina smiled.

Saeran hesitated.

“Come.”

He took them to his room and opened one of the drawers of his desk. There were three doodles in them of a beautiful long-haired girl with soft eyes and smile.

“I tried to draw her,” Saeran blushed.

Saeyoung was jumping internally for his brother liking someone, drawing her, and the fact that he was telling them.

“She’s beautiful,” Mina smiled. “Why don’t you give her one of these?”

“No!” he exclaimed. “She’ll think I’m a creep.”

“I think it’s sweet,” Saeyoung smiled.

“It is sweet,” Mina agreed.

“I shouldn’t have shown you these,” Saeran said, blushing and starting to feel uneasy.

He took one of the drawings and put one hand of each side of the paper, as if he was going to break it, but Saeyoung put his hands on his and stopped him.

“You don’t have to show them to her if you don’t want to,” he said.

Saeran put the drawings back in the drawer and forcefully closed it again. He curled in his bed, giving them his back.

“Leave me alone,” he whispered.

Mina and Saeyoung complied and started leaving the room, unwilling to overwhelm him.

“Saeran,” Saeyoung called him, still at the door. “Thanks for telling.”

He closed the door softly and Mina and he looked at each other, smiling.

It took three other visits to the bakery for Saeran to ask Anna out. He didn’t talk much usually, letting Anna lead the conversation and answering her questions with short answers that fortunately didn’t seem to annoy her or discourage her from talking to him. It’s not that he felt comfortable in the shop. At the contrary, the smell and Anna’s natural attitude and trivial conversation calmed him. He got to meet Anna’s father, who always looked at him suspiciously, but secretly liked his shyness. He also felt comfortable around the customers who already knew and greeted him, looking at Anna’s expression every time Saeran appeared, holding back a smile.

“Do you have plans this Saturday?” he finally asked.

Anna’s heart began to race as she shifted her smile from the shelves she was filling with cinnamon rolls to him.

“I don’t!” she exclaimed, “No, I don’t,” she said again, trying to look calmer. She chuckled at her own reaction. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” he replied, turning to take more biscuits. He had to ask now that the shop was empty. “Just in case you wanted to do something.”

“Sounds good!” she exclaimed and laughed at herself for saying that ‘doing something’ sounded as a good plan.

Saeran smiled softly, his cheeks turning of a light pink. He paid for the biscuits and Anna leaned on the counter, her cheek on her hand.

“What time where?”

“I could pick you up here at...” he hesitated. What time do usually people go out?

“Four o ‘clock?” she asked.

“Sounds fine.”

“But I have one condition,” Anna said, apparently confident, but blushing.

Saeran’s heart stopped. If he couldn’t meet her condition he...

“It has to be a date.”

Saeran blood rushed to his cheeks.

“No,” he replied, making Anna frown. He chuckled. “Just kidding. It’s a date.”

She smiled.

“You silly!” she hit his arm. “See you on Saturday.”

“See you,” he said, leaving the bakery.

Saeran felt he was either going to throw up or start flying. He was still nervous and his legs were starting to tremble. For the first time since he went out of Saeyoung’s home he didn’t fear or mind people in the streets. He was busy freaking out and being happy at the same time.

At the same time, Anna was trying to tell herself that she was a princess and had to act thus, but when Saeran left the shop and was probably far away enough, she started to give small jumps on the other side of the counter and yelling ‘yes’ repeatedly.

“Daddy!!” she called him, and he appeared with a pissed off face through the door. “I’m leaving early today.”

“You cannot just do what you want,” Mr Smith replied.

She kissed his cheek, giving him her apron.

“But I need to go shopping.”

She picked up her phone and called her best friend.

“Yoosung,” she said when he picked up. “I’m going on a date with the boy I told you about! You have to help me going shopping!!!”

Yoosung chuckled.

“Alright,” he replied. “Just wait a second.”

Yes, Saeran and Anna inevitably found out with time that they had a friend in common and they were reassured then that destiny had always been on their side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check more content in my Tumblr!: https://makachan88.tumblr.com/


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two chapters left :3
> 
> I hope you are enjoying this! Thank you for reading <3

Saeran looked at himself on the mirror of the bathroom for the third time.

“This won’t do!” he exclaimed, wanting to crash it.

He was too nervous. He hadn’t almost slept that night and now he felt all the clothes his brother had bought him were incredibly lame and he looked like the loser he actually was. He went to his bedroom, deciding he wouldn’t go on that damn date, when Mina entered it.

“What’s the matter, Saeran?” she asked.

“Fuck you two!” he exclaimed, throwing a jumper at her.

“That’s not nice,” she said, covering her face to prevent the jumper from hitting her face and picking it up from the floor.

Saeran sunk his face in the pillow. Of course, he knew that was not nice, was she stupid? He looked at her, hoping she would sit next to him and calm him caressing his head as she usually did, but she didn’t move.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and Mina walked to him and finally buried her fingers in his red locks.

“My clothes look silly,” he said, and Mina chuckled. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I knew this was going to happen,” she sighed. “Come with me.”

They entered Saeyoung and her bedroom and she opened the closet to take a box out. When she opened it, Saeran saw his black leather jeans, his red t-shirt and the jacket he loved so much.

“Your brother is going to kill me,” she said. “But I think it’s worth it if you feel more confident with your old clothes.”

“You’re the best,” he smiled, taking them and making Mina blush. “But he’s not going to kill you,” he replied, lightly worried that Mina thought his brother could do that.

“It’s a way of talking,” she replied, regretting her word choice. “Now, put them on before he arrives,” she urged him before his anxiety was triggered.

He got rid of his clothes in a rush and put the old ones on, looking at the big mirror of Mina and Saeyoung’s room when he finished, a bit more confident on how he looked.

“Do you have some make up?” he asked her.

She nodded and gave him a small box with her few utensils. He took the eyeliner and put it on his eyes, smiling at the result.

“How do I look?” he shyly asked, which contrasted with his badass outfit and made Mina chuckle.

“Edgy,” she replied.

He frowned.

“No, seriously. Do you like it?”

She nodded, making him smile lightly with a light blush on his cheeks.

He went to the bakery and waited for Anna at the door, breathing in and out to calm his nerves or, at least, make them less obvious. She finally went out some minutes later, wearing a white dress that made her look innocent and cute, her long hair falling down her back.

“Saeran!” she exclaimed when she saw him, surprised at his outfit.

“Let’s go,” he said, putting his arm round her shoulder and screaming internally because of this.

She blushed, but liked it.

“Where are we going?” she asked, stepping closer to him and making him throw himself through the window inside his head.

“Let’s go to a café,” he replied, faking self confidence.

“Sounds nice!” she exclaimed, happy.

She passed her arm round his waist and he hoped she didn’t notice he was feeling dizzy.

“I’ll order the drinks,” he said when Anna sat down at a table.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “I want a latte.”

He nodded and went to the counter, feeling his anxiety increase at the thought of talking to a stranger. He ordered Anna’s latte and a hot chocolate for him, repenting immediately his decision. He was going to look like a loser in front of her. He went back to their table when he finally got the drinks, blushing and feeling still nervous about having talked to the woman behind the counter. This was not going good, he thought.

“Thank you,” Anna said when he gave her her drink. “Hot chocolate?” she chuckled, making Saeran blush. “I knew you were going to order that!” she exclaimed.

“Why?” he got to utter despite the dryness of his throat.

“You seem to like quite a lot the sweetest things in the bakery,” she smiled. “So I thought you have a sweet thought,” she raised her arms. “Yay! I got it right.”

Saeran sighed. She didn’t think it was pathetic? As she went on talking, he started to feel calmer. Her voice sounded excited, but at the same time, it was melodious and sweet, so it wasn’t annoying but the opposite.

“I’m going to order some water,” she said, standing up. “Do you want some?”

“I’ll go for you,” Saeran replied, wishing to look like a gentleman.

“Saeran, there’s no need,” Anna smiled. “I can do it for you.”

He looked at her as she went to the counter, puzzled.

“Why?” he asked her when she came back. She gave him an innocent look. “Why didn’t you let me go and order?”

“Saeran, do you really think I didn’t notice your social anxiety?” she asked, frowning. Saeran startled. “When we met, you barely said a word and wouldn’t look at me in the eyes, and you were having a really bad time before.”

Saeran wanted to die. She knew how pathetic he was. Why had he accepted going out with him, then? He held his mug tight. It was probably out of pity that she had accepted.

“Fuck,” he whispered, taking his jacket.

“What are you doing?” Anna asked, confused, as he stood up.

He looked down at her with a cold look.

“I shouldn’t have invited you anyway,” he said.

“What? Eh, wait, no,” she grabbed his hand. “Why are you leaving?”

“Because I’m not going to stay with you if you accepted going out with me out of pity.”

“I didn’t, Saeran!” she exclaimed, indignant. “I would never do that.”

He looked at her angry expression and sat down again before they attracted the look of the people at the cafeteria. He hid his mouth behind his hand and tried not to tremble, looking away from her.

“Then?” he asked.

“I like you,” she shrugged her shoulders.

He startled and looked at her, blushing like crazy. Her cheeks didn’t look much different, though.

“You don’t think I’m pathetic?” he found himself saying.

“I don’t think so,” she replied, looking weirdly at him. “Why would I?”

“Because I was having a hard time ordering two drinks,” he replied, grabbing the seat of his chair tightly.

“I think it was sweet the way you acted like a gentleman,” she smiled, blushing. “I liked it a lot.”

She had to be lying. He looked at her, suspicious, and she looked at him back.

“What?” she chuckled.

“You’re weird,” he decided.

She laughed.

“I guess I am. You’re weird too.”

Saeran blushed, looking away from her.

“Shut up.”

They went for a walk down the park, which Anna knew quite well, and she led him through the parts that were more solitary. They sat on a bench and he looked up at the sky.

“Do you like the sky?” she asked.

“No, shut up.”

She arched an eyebrow.

“What happened with your gentleman-like behaviour?”

“You spoiled it,” he replied, looking back at her.

“It’s because I’m too clever,” she smiled. “I thought you wanted to impress me?” she said when she realised he was not going to reply to that one.

“You’re too easy to impress,” he playfully replied.

“Am I?” she chuckled. “Impress me now.”

“I am impressing you not following your princess-like orders.”

“I guess you’re right,” she acknowledged with a chuckle.

“Let’s continue walking, princess,” he said, offering her his hand.

She blushed and took it. Saeran was dying on the inside. That had sounded cool. He had acted so cool. And she had blushed. He was going to die, but worth.

Before they realised, the sky started to turn reddish and the breeze became colder.

“I think I should head home,” Anna said.

Saeran nodded, disappointed. He didn’t want the day to finish. He looked at her and found her gaze on him. The sky gave her hair a reddish tone and her eyes looked like golden and fire. She was just beautiful. And that girl had really gone out on a date with him? He couldn’t believe it. And she had said she liked him. It could be a lie, of course, but he wanted to believe it wasn’t. Deep inside, he wanted to have some hope.

“You’re beautiful,” Anna said. Saeran startled and she smiled. “I guess you don’t really like touching other people, but I like it when you hold my hand.”

His heart was racing like crazy and he was blushing deeply.

“I don’t mind holding your hand,” he replied.

She looked at their fingers intertwined and smiled.

“Nice, because I was really enjoying the feeling,” she chuckled.

How could she say those things so carelessly? Saeran’s heart was going crazy and he was starting to feel dizzy. She was going to kill him.

He put a finger on the tip of her nose and lifted it.

“Piggy princess,” he said.

“What was that for?!” she exclaimed, holding back her laugh.

He laughed and Anna thought that was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. She chuckled.

“You’re silly,” she replied.

They looked at each other. Saeran lifted his hand and caressed her cheek, feeling it warm against his palm, and Anna leaned on the touch. Her lips parted and she sighed, making Saeran shiver. He looked at her reddish lips and when he shifted his look to her eyes again found her looking at his. Was it okay if he kissed her? He imagined Anna’s lips as warm and soft against his, and the feeling was overwhelming. He leaned towards her, and she put a hand behind his neck to invite him to come closer. He felt Anna’s breath coming out her lips and meeting his, and before their lips could touch, her phone rang.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, moving away from him. “Daddy?” she asked. “Oh, I’m going home soon, sorry about the delay. Okay. Yes, sure,” she looked at him, touching her lips, and bushing. Saeran was dizzy.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking her hand and walking next to her, leading her to the bakery.

“I had fun,” she told him when he took her there. “Thank you.”

“Yah, see you.”

She kissed his cheek and Saeran knew he was lost.

 

He got home and heard Saeyoung and Mina chuckling in their bedroom. He sighed. They were happier when he wasn’t there, obviously. He took a glass of water. He liked Anna. Fuck. Anna was going to hate him when she discovered who he really was. He shouldn’t have gone on a date with her. His phone buzzed and he saw a message from the girl, thanking him for the day and asking him if he would like to meet again. He let the phone fall on the floor and stepped on it, breaking it. That was better. That way he wouldn’t receive any messages from her again or feel tempted to send them himself.

He went to his room and lied on the bed, taking off his jacket and t-shirt and uncovering the tattoo. She would hate the tattoo if she saw it. It was disgusting and had scars he had himself left trying to scratch it off. He was disgusting. He didn’t deserve her anyway. He didn’t deserve any of them.

He wouldn’t be able to make her happy anyway, even if she didn’t hate him. He would ruin her life as he ruined his brother and Mina’s. He felt something soft around him and a nice sensation on his head. Oh, right, he felt his throat aching too. He was screaming and crying. He looked up at his brother, who was embracing him, promising everything was alright. He knew Mina was rubbing his head, just the way he liked, and probably had a pill for him to calm down. He accepted it and swallowed it and looked at both of them. They looked worried.

“I’m sorry,” Saeran said, letting himself fall on the bed and looking away from then.

He was right. He was ruining their lives.

“Saeran, you don’t need to apologise for this,” Mina said. “Thank us,” she added.

“Thank you,” Saeran replied, trembling.

He felt her hand on his hair again.

“Good boy,” she whispered.

“You’re a good boy, Saeran,” his brother said too.

He cried and they didn’t leave his side until he fell asleep.

 

When they heard his breathing turning even and deeper, they went back to their bedroom, leaving both doors open just in case Saeran woke up during the night and needed them. Saeyoung embraced Mina. It hurt seeing his brother like this.

“You’re doing it perfect,” Mina whispered.

“I have to compensate,” Saeyoung sighed.

“Don’t say that,” Mina replied. “You did what you thought was best.”

“And I was wrong.”

“You’re human. We all make mistakes. You were young and trusted V and Rika. It’s normal.”

“My mistake took my brother’s life.”

“He’s not dead, Saeyoung,” Mina replied. “Maybe he would be dead if they hadn’t taken him away from your mother, or if you hadn’t rescued him from Mint Eye,” she stated and he shivered at the thought. “I’m sorry, I was too tough,” Mina whispered.

“But you are right,” he acknowledged.

She kissed his forehead.

“I’m glad we have you,” Saeyoung sighed, making her smile.

“I’m glad I have you two,” she replied. “You make me strong.”

Saeyoung embraced her tighter.

“I should say so.”

“Maybe,” she hesitated. “But I feel so too.”

Saeyoung smiled.

“We will be okay,” he told her.

“Yes,” she replied.

She kissed him softly on the lips and right afterwards, they heard Saeran moving in his room and Saeyoung went to check on him. He had woken up.

“Water,” Saeran said and followed his brother when he went to fetch it, grabbing his t-shirt.

He drank the full glass without letting go off his brother. Saeyoung smiled. He looked as the little boy he was five years ago when he acted like that.

“Saeyoung, Saeran,” Mina called them. “Come here.”

They followed her to the main bedroom and she sat on it, patting the free space, inviting them to sit there. Saeyoung let his brother sit next to her, and he immediately fell on the bed. Mina lied next to him, embracing him and looking for Saeyoung’s hand as he embraced Saeran too. They soon heard Saeran’s deep breaths.

“Thank you,” Saeyoung whispered. “Are you sure you don’t mind.”

“Don’t worry,” she replied. “We spent all afternoon together,” she smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I guess you want to know what they did that afternoon? You’ll know in the next chapter :3 
> 
> (Expectsomesexytime)
> 
> Check more content in my Tumblr!: https://makachan88.tumblr.com/ <3


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left! I really hope you like this one. I feel the pace was a bit quick, so, please, tell me if you had the same impression.
> 
> Some NSFW content in this chapter ;3
> 
> Thank you for reading <3

Saeyoung arrived home just after Saeran left.

“He left already?”  he whined. “I wanted to wish him good luck!”

“You can message him,” Mina replied.

Saeyoung looked at her. He had been wanting to have some time alone with her for a time now. He wanted to do some... things, he had never been able to do before. The first night they had spent together had been in a car, and then onwards his brother was always home. He knew Mina liked being noisy and he wanted to know how much he could make her shout... Wait, what was he thinking? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Nevertheless, Mina was giving her back to him and she was humming a song, dancing slightly while she looked for something in one of the drawers of the kitchen, and Saeyoung couldn’t help but staring at the faint move of her hips. Fuck.

“I’m going to the bedroom,” he covered his mouth with a hand, blushing.

Mina noticed his reaction, which made her chuckle. He turned to face her again when he heard her laughing to put his hands all over her and kiss her, but her nervous look made him stop and narrow his eyes in suspicion.

“What did you do?” he asked, walking towards her to torture her with tickles if necessary.

“I may have kept your brother’s old clothing and give them to him for his date today,” Mina replied, moving back, completely aware of her possible punishment. Instead, Saeyoung startled at her answer, dropping his hands in confusion.

“What? Why?”

“Because he felt more confident with those,” Mina shrugged and turned around to continue her task.

“But those are remindful of the time he spent in Mint Eye!” he exclaimed.

“He felt good in them, that’s the important thing.”

“Pricklepoe!!”

“I can compensate,” she said, facing him again and leaning on the counter with a suggestive smirk, arching an eyebrow.

She took a chair of the kitchen and put it before the fire-fighter pole while Saeyoung followed her, intrigued and excited. She pushed her boyfriend lightly for him to sit on it and put on some music, making sure to lean more than necessary as she selected and played the song so that Saeyoung had a good view of her ass. The music started filling the room and she began to remove her shirt and jeans as she moved to the music. Saeyoung had to hold the seat of his chair as he contemplated the scene to let her continue dancing and not take her at that very moment.

She got closer to the pole and moved down, opening her legs, and Saeyoung finally decided to stand up to walk towards her. Nevertheless, before he could get closer, she stood up and lifted a leg to push him back on the chair. She climbed the pole and started to dance her number, wearing only a pair of black stockings and lingerie. Saeyoung could feel his arousal and decided to tease her too, so he undid his trousers and started touching himself, grinning at her. She arched an eyebrow and gave him a cocky smirk, feeling sexy and sensual as his fiancé observed her so intensely. Saeyoung moaned, and she started to ache for his touch, but resisted the temptation to go to him. The song was about to finish anyway.

She spin down the pole, her back arched and her head upside down as the last notes of the song played, Saeyoung standing up and moving towards her. He kissed her tenderly, as she stayed on the pole, and she broke the kiss to get down the pole and up her fiancé, making both of them fall on the floor as they kissed passionately, panting and moaning. He got to be on top and caressed her breasts, needy, making her moan loudly and arch her back. He felt like testing her flexibility, so he took her legs and lifted them, opening them, and satisfied at her elasticity. She moved a hand down her stomach into her pants, making Saeyoung grin.

“Let me take care of that,” he said.

“You were taking forever,” she justified herself between pants as he lowered his face to lie between her legs.

He moved her pants to a side and licked her inner thighs, biting now and then as she begged for him to attend her own arousal. He finally complied, licking and sucking at her sensitive spot as she grabbed his hair tightly. She lifted his head and made him look at her. She stood up, taking him with her and took off his hoodie and t-shirt, putting him against the pole, kissing passionately, but he moved her around so that she was against it and, lifting her right leg and placing it on his shoulder.

He thrust into her, moaning loudly as she grabbed the pole with both hands, and started moving roughly and desperately into her, but soon enough she found the strength to fight for control and put down her leg, pushing him again on the floor. She sat on his lap, taking him again, and arched her back as Saeyoung grabbed her waist with strength. She kept on shouting his name and compliments between moans, and he got to put himself on top of her again. He felt her tightening her walls and knew she was as close as him, but moved out of her.

“What the fuck?” she exclaimed.

He took her to the bedroom and threw her on the bed, making her give her back to him. She lifted her ass and Saeyoung got into her again, moaning, and embraced her from behind with one hand as he rubbed her sensitive spot with the other. She moaned his name as she came, and it didn’t take too long for Saeyoung to come as well. She turned around when he pulled out of her and opened her arms to embrace him. He complied, lying on her chest, both of them still panting heavily.

“You’re amazing,” Saeyoung whispered, making her chuckle. “Don’t do that number in public.”

She laughed.

“That was going to be my next performance, actually. Except for this last part.”

“It’s too sexy,” he complained, burying his face between her breasts.

“Come and see me then,” she grinned.

“If we can have sex afterwards in your dressing room.”

“I share it with other people!” she exclaimed.

“Kick them out.”

She kissed his head and made him move off her, to stand up and put on a pair of trousers and a t-shirt.

“What are you doing?” Saeyoung asked, embracing her from behind.

“We have to tidy the mess before Saeran comes,” she replied.

“But we have some time before he does!” he complained. “And seeing you get dressed is tooooooooorture,” he dramatically whined.

She chuckled lightly, stepped out of the room and walked to take their clothes from the floor. She went back to a still whiny Saeyoung, threw them at him, who was still on the bed, and took off her underwear, taking a towel.

“Would you join me in the shower?” she grinned, going out of the room.

Saeyoung stood up at the speed of lightning and followed her into the bathroom, taking off his clothes on the way.

Saeyoung did a good job controlling himself and not much water ended up out of the bath and on the floor. They washed each other’s hair, Saeyoung loving the way Mina rubbed his head and understanding why it calmed Saeran so much.

“Why are you so sexy?” he asked her, making her chuckle.

Saeyoung had forgotten his towel, so Mina shared hers with him. He wrapped her up and took her to their bedroom, kissing her back when he threw her on the bed.

“Are you happy?” she asked.

“Yes, pricklepoe, I am. Why do you ask?”

“We are going to get married,” she said.

“Yes, we are. A marriage between worlds. Between Pricklepoland and Earth.”

“You should meet my family,” she suddenly said, and Saeyoung chocked.

“No, I shouldn’t,” he replied.

“Saeyoung, we’re going to get married,” she tried to reason with him.

“Mina, they’re going to hate me,” he offered him the best of his ironic and panicked smiles.

“They are not, and the worst for them if they do,” she replied, taking his hands in hers and kissing his knuckles.

He let himself fall on the bed, covering his eyes with his arm. Mina moved it away to see his face and made him look at her. She kissed his eyes and the tip of his nose, making him smile slightly. She then proceeded to kiss the corners of his mouth, his cheeks and bit his lower lip. Finally, she kissed him, slowly and teasingly, doing wonders with her tongue and making him hard again, so she caressed his length and kissed him down his chest and stomach until she licked him, teasingly, and took him in his mouth, making him shiver and moan.

“Mina, are you sure?” he asked.

She chuckled, looking up at him, undoing him.

They lied on the bed when they finished, reluctant to get dressed again, and Saeyoung started to show her memes, making her chuckle.

“How do you think Saeran did in his date?” Saeyoung asked her.

“I bet he did it perfectly well,” she replied, kissing his nose.

“I bet he did something stupid and blushed, showing her how cute he is,” he chuckled and she laughed.

“I’m pretty sure about it,” she replied. “And then she blushed too and they stood there, embarrassed.”

“So cute!” he exclaimed.

At that moment, they heard Saeran’s screams, got dressed and went to him.

 

Saeran woke up between his brother and Mina.

He tried to get rid of their embrace and went to the kitchen to find his smashed phone. He hadn’t replied to Anna’s message. He took it and tried to see if he could fix it, but it was too broken. He left it on his brother’s computer room and walked on Saeyoung when he went out.

“Good morning,” he smiled. “Did something happen yesterday?” he asked, worried.

Saeran shook his head.

“Everything went smoothly,” he replied.

Saeyoung smiled.

“That’s good.”

They waited until Mina woke up and Saeran started to tell them some details about his date while having breakfast. Saeyoung had to tighten his embrace in Mina’s waist to hide his excitement, and Mina smiled.

“She sounds nice,” she said.

Saeran blushed.

“Shut up,” he said, hiding his face behind a cushion.

Saeyoung chuckled.

“She somehow is nice...ish,” he told them.

They smiled.

“Saeran, we’ll have to leave this afternoon,” Mina spoke, making Saeyoung startle.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Where’re going to meet her family,” Saeyoung tensed up.

“Cool. I’ll stay here,” he said.

“You can come with us if you want to,” Mina said.

But he had to do something before. He went to the bakery and told Anna that his phone was broken. Fortunately enough, Anna asked him to meet again and gave him her address so that they could communicate by letter. He found the idea nice, and would write to her right away when he got home, getting embarrassed at his own excitement.

He was going to go out of the bakery when Anna stopped him, taking him by the wrist, reclining on the counter.

“Wait,” she said, blushing deeply.

“What?” he asked, widening his eyes in surprise.

She looked back at the back room where his father was, and pulled Saeran closer to her, meeting his lips with hers. He gasped in surprise and Anna took the chance to look for his tongue with hers, making Saeran equally excited and nervous. He closed his eyes and focused on returning the kiss, taking her face in between his hands as she put her arms round his neck. She broke the kiss slowly and sweetly, panting lightly.

“Go,” she chuckled. “Before daddy comes,” she whispered, their hands intertwined.

He smiled, but didn’t let go and gave her a small peck on the lips again.

“I saw you,” one of the women that usually greeted him said in a playful tone, making Saeran blush and Anna chuckle. She took her index finger to his lips and winked, asking for her complicity.

 

Mina and the twins drove to her parent’s home. Saeyoung noticed it was the same borough in which Jumin and V were raised. He looked at her, nervous.

“You sure I look good?” he asked for the tenth time that afternoon.

“You look perfect, Saeyoung,” she replied.

“You haven’t looked at me.”

“I did the third time you asked.”

He frowned. He had put on a shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. He even wore lenses instead of glasses, even though Mina had complained about it; she loved his glasses too much. She parked the car and opened the door for him.

“Thank you, ladypoe,” he playfully said, kissing her hand, and making her chuckle and Saeran roll his eyes.

In front of them stood a big mansion surrounded by a beautiful and enormous garden. They entered the main door and Mina rang the doorbell when they approached the building. Suddenly, a boy appeared from behind a tree and rushed to them.

“Mina!” he exclaimed, embracing her waist.

“Hi, Peter,” she tenderly smiled, picking him up. “Oh, you’re so big now I can barely take you in my arms.”

“Who is this old man?” he asked, pointing at Saeyoung, and making Mina laugh.

“Hi!” he greeted him, ignoring the last part of his question.

“He’s my fiancé,” she replied.

The boy frowned.

“Mina, you have to marry me!” the boy complained.

“You’re my brother,” she chuckled.

Saeran frowned. He wanted to take the boy out of Mina’s arms, but held his brother’s shirt instead.

“And who is he?” he asked pointing at Saeran.

“His brother,” she replied.

“I don’t like them.”

Saeran wanted to punch the insolent kid, but Mina spoke before he could really think about doing it.

“Don’t be rude, Peter,” she frowned. “Apologise.”

“Sorry,” he said, looking away from them and puffing out his cheeks.

Saeran smiled. Mina always patted his head when he apologised and she wasn’t patting the kid’s.

At that moment, a woman opened the door and embraced Mina.

“Hi, Mina,” she greeted her in a tender voice. “Are these Saeyoung and Saeran?” she asked, looking at the twins.

“They are,” she replied.

They introduced themselves and Mina’s mother embraced both of them, making Saeran tense up a bit. She invited them to get in the building and led them to a big, luminous room in which there were two sofas and a big piano.

“Mina, look. I’ve been taking lessons,” Peter said, sitting at it. He started to play _Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star_ and Mina applauded him when he finished, making Saeran frown again. He looked at Saeyoung, who was contemplating her as if he hadn’t seen anything so beautiful in his whole life. Dork.

They sat on the sofa and a slim girl with short brown hair appeared in the room.

“Hi, Rose,” Mina greeted her. She looked away from her, blushing. “She’s my sister,” she told the brothers.

“Bullshit,” Rose replied, making Mina startle.

“Rose!” her mother called her.

“Why did you have to leave?” she asked her. “Why did you have to play the happy family somewhere else?”

Saeran tensed up. They were her family now, these people here should just forget about her. He didn’t like them.

“It’s not like that,” Mina replied.

Mina’s father appeared in that moment and greeted Mina. Her sister went away.

“I’m going to talk to her,” Mina told them, following her, and leaving the twins alone with her family.

“So,” Mina’s mother said. “Why don’t you tell us about you two,” she smiled.

That was going to be complicated.

Nevertheless, the afternoon went by more smoothly than they thought. Mina’s mother was quite talkative, so the twins just had to nod at what she said and smile. Mina talked to her sister and told her about her work at the local. She winked and stared at her for some seconds in surprise, but understood her right away and her old admiration towards her sister went back. They returned to the living room when they finished talking and joined the rest.

Rose played for Mina and she danced some ballet for them. Saeyoung’s eyes sparkled in delight, blushing lightly as he saw her dance, and Mina’s mother looked at him, charmed at the affection he showed towards her daughter.

“Mina, I like them so, so much,” she told her, taking her hands when they were leaving, making the three of them blush.

“Come more often,” Rose asked.

“Don’t get married,” Peter asked her, crying.

They got back in the car and enjoyed of a ride back home in which neither Mina or Saeran needed to fill the silence, since Saeyoung was quite excited about their visit to Mina’s family. He was still surprised at the success and was making the most extravagant suggestions for the wedding, to which Mina nodded, humouring him. Saeran wasn’t listening, though. His mood wasn’t as good as his brother’s.

The twins and Mina arrived home and Saeran went to sleep right away, feeling exhausted after all the emotions he had felt that day.

“Mina,” he called her before entering his room, blushing.

“Yes, Saeran,” she smiled. He took the sleeve of her shirt. “Good boy, Saeran,” she patted his head.

“We’re your family,” he whispered and Mina’s heart starting racing.

“Yes, I know,” she said. “We are family.”

Saeran nodded with a small smile on his face and went to sleep.

 

Saeyoung let himself fall on their bed, exhausted.

“Gaaah! Too many emotions, too much tension!” he whined. “Pricklepoe, give me a massage.”

“You wished,” she kissed his cheek.

He chuckled.

“Mean girl.”

“Not mean, but Mina.”

Saeyoung looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ve spent too much time with me.”

“Agreed.”

He chuckled and kissed her as she embraced him.

“They loved you,” she smiled.

“It’s because I’m god 707.”

“Sure,” she said, giving him small kisses throughout his cheeks, making him chuckle.

“You looking for tickles?” he asked, smiling mischievously.

“Nooooo.”

But she couldn’t avoid them.

“Shhhh,” she hushed him. “We’re going to wake Saeran,” she chuckled.

They kissed and made love sweetly, before falling asleep feeling happy and complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check more content in my Tumblr!: https://makachan88.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you for your support<3


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the last chapter! I really hope you like it and that you have enjoyed the story ^^
> 
> Thank you so much for your support <3

Anna was unfolded the truth little by little. Saeran had asked Mina for advice, who had thought that was the best way to do that. When he learnt Yoosung was her friend, he had asked him too, and he had agreed.

It was actually Saeyoung who found out about Anna and Yoosung’s relationship. The red-haired and his friend were going to go to see a film when the latter asked him if a friend could go too. He had reluctantly accepted since he wanted to have some privacy with Yoosung to talk about his engagement, but he felt curious about that friend, so ended up accepting. When she appeared, they looked at each other, surprised, making Yoosung stand puzzled.

“You’re the girl of the drawings!” Saeyoung pointed at her.

“Are you Saeran’s brother?” she asked.

“Do you know Saeran?” Yoosung startled.

“Wait, what drawings?” Anna said.

“Saeran and she are dating!” Saeyoung explained to Yoosung, making an over-dramatic gesture to point at her, which made Anna like him already.

They ended up at a cafeteria instead of watching the film, laughing about the coincidence, and Saeyoung sent a picture of the three of them to Saeran, who convinced Mina to go there right away. She was not too difficult to convince, though, she was dying to get to know her.

The weeks rushed away and wedding day became closer. Saeyoung opened a toy shop, which had always been his dream, and sometimes Saeran helped him building and programming the toys. Saeyoung was once immersed in work when Saeran called him, asking for some lunch.

“Just a sec,” he replied, but Saeran knew his ‘sec’s could turn into hours and went to fetch Mina.

Nevertheless, she was nowhere to be found. He looked for her in the living room, where she usually rehearsed for her performances, in her room, the kitchen, even at the attic, and he finally knocked the door of the bathroom, thinking she should be there. He opened the door and found her next to the toilet, embracing her legs and with her face between them.

“Mina, I’ hungry,” he told her, but she didn’t move.

He got closer to her, suddenly fearing something was going on, and he realised she was shivering lightly.

“Hey, you, I’m hungry. What’s up?” he asked, worried but unwilling to show it.

As she didn’t answer, he decided to rub her head the same way she did with him when he was having a nervous breakdown. Mina’s heart melted at the boy’s tenderness, so she made the effort to look up at him and he realised by her red and puffed out eyes and nose that she had been crying. He saw she had a thermometer between her fingers. He recognised it because his brother would use it to check his temperature after a bad night, but this one was slightly thicker.

“Are you sick?” he asked her. She didn’t give him an answer, so he decided to call his brother. “Saeyoung!” he called him. “I think...” Mina put her hand on his mouth, interrupting him. “Hey, if you’re sick, you need my brother to take care of you.”

“Shhh,” she whispered, taking a finger to her lips and started sobbing again. Saeran startled, drying her tears forcefully with his thumbs. He hated seeing her cry.

“Hey, I don’t know what’s the matter with you, but you should tell my brother,” he said.

“Mina?” Saeyoung called her, his eyes tainted in worry. “Hey, pricklepoe, are you okay?” he asked, approaching her.

Saeran looked at him and moved away, relieved. Mina gave his brother the strange thermometer, crying, and Saeyoung widened his eyes in surprise. Saeran looked at it. There were no numbers on the screen, but a pink line. He looked at his brother, puzzled.

“Saeran, can you leave us alone for a second?” he asked, looking at Mina and sitting next to her to embrace her.

Saeran didn’t know what was going on, but he complied. He sat on the bed, terrified. Was Mina that sick? What did the pink line mean? Was she going to die? The thoughts starting to fill his head and he felt dizzy, so he decided to go out of his room and try to eavesdrop to their conversation.

“What do you want to do?” he heard his brother.

“I don’t know,” Mina cried.

“We’ll do whatever you want to.”

“It’s too sudden,” Mina said. “It’s too sudden but... it’s _ours_.”

He could hear the smile on Saeyoung’s lips when he spoke up.

“Yes, it is.”

“I’m terrified,” she said.

“I am too,” Saeyoung held her closer. “But I think if it’s with you, we’ll be okay.”

“And Saeran, what will he think?” she asked him.

Saeran startled. Was something his fault? Had he made Mina sick? Maybe they had to go away and abandon him.

“I don’t know,” Saeyoung replied.

“I’m not having it if that affects Saeran in any way.”

“Mina,” Saeyoung whispered, moved. “We still have to ask him,” they stood in silence for a while and Saeran was every time more confused. What had they done? “I want to have it,” Saeyoung finally spoke up.

“I think I want it too,” Mina whispered.

“I can stay with it when you go to work during the night,” he smiled.

She chuckled.

“And it can test you toys.”

“I bet I’ll want it to keep half of them,” he laughed.

“You’ll spoil the child so much!” she exclaimed.

“And you will teach the kid to dance.”

“Oh, I hope it has red hair,” Mina chuckled.

Saeran froze. Were they talking about having a kid?

“I bet it will always try to imitate Saeran,” Mina suddenly whispered.

“He looks like the cool uncle.”

Saeran startled. They were wrong. The kid was going to hate him. He suddenly heard Mina cry again.

“Oh, please, let him want it too,” she whispered.

“Let’s ask him,” Saeyoung said and Saeran heard them standing up.

He rushed to the living room. They looked at him with a worried look and sat down next to him. Saeran could hear them talking to him but couldn’t make out any meaning from anything they said. Did he want the kid? He didn’t know, but Mina and his brother looked so happy talking about it.

“What do you think?” she asked him. “Of course, this is hypothetical,” she added.

Bullshit.

“You don’t need to protect me like that,” Saeran frowned. “I know you’re pregnant.”

Mina and Saeyoung startled.

“Did you hear us?” Saeyoung asked.

Saeran nodded.

“Of course I want to be an uncle,” he lied. “That way Saeyoung would finally get entertained with someone else.”

Saeran startled when he saw their eyes brighten up. He murmured a ‘gross’ and went back to his room. Was it going to be alright?

He found himself calling Anna. He told her the news and she seemed pretty excited too, which cheered him up. Apparently, she also thought he was going to be the cool uncle.

 

Anna sometimes felt uneasy about Saeran. She was blindly in love with him, but the things he told her sometimes made her afraid of their relationship changing or Saeran turning out to be a troubled person that would only make her suffer. He sometimes behaved like a child, but surprisingly enough, she could understand him. She was also childish most of the time, so she didn’t really mind behaving like an adult when Saeran needed to. Besides, Saeran turned out to be the sweetest and most caring person she had ever met, together with her father, and even though he tried to push her away sometimes, she was strong enough as to remain by his side, being even more loving with him. She loved calling him ‘love,’ ‘darling’ and all kind of endearing names, and the more time she spent with him, the more she loved him. Even when she got to know the darkest parts of Saeran’s past, she remained by his side, comforting him, though once she had a nervous breakdown after hearing about his mother’s mistreatment and _he_ ended up comforting _her_. Saeran didn’t mind, though. He felt stronger at that moment.

 

The day of wedding arrived and Mina hadn’t got to convince Saeyoung to buy another pair of engagement rings. He stated he loved those and that he liked them the most since he wanted to land his rocket on her moon (innuendo intended).

The ceremony was quiet for Saeran’s sake: the only guests where the RFA with their partners, Anna, Mina’s most immediate family, Vanderwood, and Rachel.

Saeran was allowed to buy his own suit and he chose the edgiest thing he found with Mina’s help, and when Peter and Rose saw him, they almost died. Peter followed him around all the time, looking at him with bright eyes, and Rose fell in love with him so much. She almost cried right there when Anna took his hand and kissed his cheek, looking at her to make clear he was _her_ boyfriend.

Saeyoung’s look on Mina was that of adoration. She looked so incredibly beautiful in her wedding dress, he could have died right there. It was a simple white dress, without any king of lace or ornament, and she wore her hair tied up in a bun. Her bouquet had white flowers and the veil was also simple. Nevertheless, Saeyoung would never forget the bridal lingerie. Someone had her preferences clear.

They decided not to go on a honey moon to stay with Saeran, which he thanked. They told him so, smiling, telling him that they would feel lonely without him, which may had made Saeran tear up a bit, but he would never acknowledge so.

 

He started to grow more excited about the baby as the months went by. He observed Mina’s belly, curious, trying to perceive any change, and she chuckled every time she caught him doing so. He finally took up the courage to ask her to lift her t-shirt, which she did, and he noticed the small bulge, putting his hands there instantly.

Saeyoung kissed her lips and her belly every day after waking up and before going to sleep, and he started giving it two kisses when they found out they were expecting twins. Saeran decided then he was going to be the best uncle in the world, and he became so excited that he started to spend all his money in clothing and toys for the babies, even though Mina’s family had already bought them quite a lot of things of the finest quality.

The twins turned out to be two red-haired boys with golden eyes, which Mina loved. They looked so alike to Saeyoung and Saeran that Anna and she became a sobbing mess when they saw them, both of them promising they would make sure to give them the best childhood ever.

The kids were messy. They would pretend to be the other and fool the people who couldn’t tell between them (much to Saeyoung and Saeran’s pride). They were spoilt by the entire RFA, their father, their uncle and Anna’s father, as Mina, Vanderwood and Anna trying to discipline them as much as they could. Even Lizzy and Jaehee lost it with them, they were just too adorable.

Eventually, Mina went back to her work, her body almost miraculously recovered after bearing two children, that woman was a monster. Saeyoung was always her fan number one, and whenever he couldn’t go and see her, Saeran did, frightening away all the men that looked at her naughtily, and she was forced to tell him not to do that or they would lose three quarters of their clients.

 

With time, Saeran finally from Saeyoung and Mina’s house, making the couple and the twins cry with his departure. He thought he was going to miss them too, and for once, he said it. Nevertheless, he had Anna, and eventually two hamsters, to fill his void.

 

Saeyoung looked at Mina in her sleep. He couldn’t believe that after all they had gone through he could allow himself to spend some time looking at her peaceful face in sleep before closing his own eyes. He was still haunted by nightmares some times, but waking up next to Mina made him feel at ease almost instantly.

They got news about Rhiannon eventually. She had met someone in America and had started all over. She sent them pictures, and she seemed so happy that Mina and Saeyoung couldn’t help but smiling. She also hoped everything was alright in Saeyoung’s life and he embraced Mina tightly and thought that everything was perfect. At that moment, they heard something breaking and the kids blaming the other. He chuckled. Yes, everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check more content in my Tumblr!: https://makachan88.tumblr.com/


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